VizBi: A Conference on Visualization in Biology

描述(由申请人提供)：可视化越来越被认为是理解生物医学数据的关键一步。随着数据生成速度的快速增长，数据集的复杂性和互联性也在快速增长。目前使用的许多可视化方法都难以扩展以满足这一挑战的复杂性。此外，还需要更多可视化工具的集成和互操作，以及提高可用性。因此，人们越来越迫切地需要改进可视化方法。最近，我们发起了一种新的研讨会形式--名为“可视化生物数据”(VIZBI)--旨在满足这一需求。这些讲习班聚集了积极使用或开发可视化工具来解决前沿生物学问题的科学家，以及致力于共同感兴趣的主题(例如，人机交互)的计算机科学家。主要成果是培养一个新的社区，允许思想的交叉授粉，并制作一系列及时的、高影响的评论出版物。2010年3月举行的第一次VIZBI研讨会是此类会议的第一次。它吸引了大约130名参与者，得到了非常积极的反馈，并产生了一系列权威评论，作为自然方法的特刊发表。我们现在正在寻求建立一系列这样的研讨会，目的是帮助在广泛的生物学研究领域显著改进数据可视化方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Visualization is increasingly recognized as a critical step in understanding biomedical data. As the rate of data generation is rapidly growing, so too is the complexity and interconnectness of datasets. Many of the visualization methods currently in use have difficulty in scaling up to meet the complexity of this challenge. In addition, there is a need for more integration and inter-operation of visualization tools, as well as improved usability. As a result, there is an increasingly urgent need to improve visualization methods. Recently we initiated a new workshop format - called 'Visualizing Biological Data' (VIZBI) - aimed at addressing this need. These workshops bring together scientists actively using or developing visualization tools to address cutting edge biological questions, as well as computer-scientists working on topics of common interest (e.g., human-computer interaction). The key outcomes are to foster a new community, allow cross-pollination of ideas, and to produce a series of timely, high-impact review publications. The first VIZBI workshop in March 2010 was the first meeting of this kind. It attracted ~130 participants, received very positive feedback, and resulted in a series of authoritative reviews published as a special issue of Nature Methods. We are now seeking to establish a series of such workshops, with the aim to help significantly improve data visualization methodology across a broad range of biological research areas.