Travails in the third dimension: a critical evaluation of three-dimensional geographical visualization

Several broad questions are posed about the role of the third dimension in data visualization. First, how far have we come in developing effective 3D displays for the analysis of spatial and other data? Second, when is it appropriate to use 3D techniques in visualising data, which 3D techniques are most appropriate for particular applications, and when might 2D approaches be more appropriate? (Indeed, is 3D always better than 2D?) Third, what can we learn from other communities in which 3D graphics and visualization technologies have been developed? And finally, what are the key R&D challenges in making effective use of the third dimension for visualising data across the spatial and related sciences? Answers to these questions will be based on several lines of evidence: the extensive literature on data and information visualization; visual perception research; computer games technology; and the author’s experiments with a prototype 3D data visualization system

Towards a generic research data management infrastructure

Until recent years, a focused and centralized strategy for the annotation, storage and curation of research data is something that has not been widely considered within academic communities. The majority of research data sits, fragmented, on a variety of disk structures (Desktops, network & external hard drives) and is usually managed locally, with little interest paid to policies governing how it is backed up, disseminated and organized for short or long term reuse. Recognition of how current practices and infrastructure present a barrier to research, has resulted in several recent academic programmes which have focused on developing comprehensive frameworks for the management and curation of research data1-3. Many of these frameworks (such as the Archer suite of e- Research tools1), however, are large and complex, and have an overreliance on new and novel technologies making them unwieldy and difficult to support. The paper discusses the development of a simpler framework for the management of research data through its full lifecycle, allowing users to annotate and structure their research in a secure and backed up environment. The infrastructure is being developed as a pilot system and is expected to work with data from approximately a dozen researchers and manage several Terabytes of data. The technical work is a strand of the MaDAM (Manchester Data Management) project at The University of Manchester which is funded by the JISC Managing Research Data Programme.

Development of a pilot data management infrastructure for biomedical researchers at University of Manchester – approach, findings, challenges and outlook of the MaDAM Project

Management and curation of digital data has been becoming ever more important in a higher education and research environment characterised by large and complex data, demand for more interdisciplinary and collaborative work, extended funder requirements and use of e-infrastructures to facilitate new research methods and paradigms. This paper presents the approach, technical infrastructure, findings, challenges and outlook (including future development within the successor project, MiSS) of the ‘MaDAM: Pilot data management infrastructure for biomedical researchers at University of Manchester’ project funded under the infrastructure strand of the JISC Managing Research Data (JISCMRD) programme. MaDAM developed a pilot research data management solution at the University of Manchester based on biomedical researchers’ requirements, which includes technical and governance components with the flexibility to meet future needs across multiple research groups and disciplines

Developing a Data Vault

Research data is being generated at an ever-increasing rate. This brings challenges in how to store, analyse, and care for the data. A component of this problem is the stewardship of data and associated files that need a safe and secure home for the medium to long-term. As part of typical suites of Research Data Management services, researchers are provided with large allocations of ‘active data storage’. This is often stored on expensive and fast disks to enable efficient transfer and working with large amounts of data. However, over time this active data store fills up, and researchers need a facility to move older but still valuable data to cheaper storage for long-term care. In addition, research funders are increasingly requiring data to be stored in forms that allow it to be described and retrieved in the future. For data that can’t be shared publicly in an open repository, a closed solution is required that can make use of offline or near-line storage for cost efficiency. This paper describes a solution to these requirements, called the Data Vault.

Repository of Access Grid Collaborative Events (RACE) University of Manchester - Final Report

This project was to develop a digital repository service of collaborative research events such as seminars, conferences, workshops, performances, and training and teaching events. The repository service aims were to archive such sessions and allow the content to be searched, browsed through and retrieved via existing and established repository search services. The main features were: − Set up a repository service for Access Grid (next generation of video conferencing) collaborative events. − Define a metadata element set appropriate for AG data that allows for efficient discovery. − Produce a set of recommendations regarding potential modifications to the AG recording software being developed within the context of the JISC-funded CREW project. − Achieve successful and efficient integration with the Intute Repository Search Service via CRE