Spurring Innovation through Advanced Data Visualization Tools: Exploring How to Dynamically Identify and Connect Regional STEM Assets

特拉华谷工业资源中心（DVIRC）与俄亥俄州立大学巴特利数学和科学教育政策中心、东南PA的本富兰克林技术合作伙伴和21世纪STEM教育合作伙伴合作，正在研究先进的数据可视化工具如何加速和深化旨在刺激STEM产业和教育创新的区域伙伴关系。该项目的重点是：(1)利用区域STEM伙伴关系数据记录的强大样本评估先进可视化工具的潜力；(2)促进围绕可视化分析的区域研究和应用伙伴关系的形成，以支持STEM教育和创新；(3)制定响应该地区学术、商业和教育合作伙伴的可视化分析研究和发展议程。主要工作是测试一种先进的数据可视化工具-星光-了解它如何在动态视觉环境中组织和描述研究，数据，人员和机构，以映射STEM资产之间的连接。最终，该项目探索了如何在操作和智力上将三州区域资产连接到一个动态网络中，以支持强大的STEM创新生态系统。区域创新生态系统的稳健性取决于思想、机构和在该生态系统中工作的个人（从事大学和私人研究、商业化、商业和金融、政府和K-20教育的人）之间建立有目的和动态联系的程度。这种联系的建立是由需求和/或机会驱动的，并受到态势感知和区域生态系统的社会、政治和文化特征的制约。该项目正在研究可视化工具如何帮助区域行动者克服由过多的行动者和由此产生的大量分散数据造成的有效态势感知障碍。该项目提出的问题包括：我们如何才能最好地理解、组织和利用一个地区的STEM资产，包括那些由NSF资助的资产，以刺激教育和经济创新？如何利用星光来组织复杂的信息集（STEM资产），以提高经济绩效，加速区域社会资本的发展？与充满活力的区域创新中心相比，该地区主要资产类别的特征如何？哪些(a)可视化输出和(b)工具的用户界面促进了关键利益相关者对可视化分析和映射的过程和输出的生产性、协作性参与？我们能否确定一套通用的用户界面特征，在广泛的利益相关者群体中有效？

The Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC), in collaboration with the Battelle Center for Mathematics & Science Education Policy at Ohio State University, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA and the 21st Century Partnership for STEM education, is examining how an advanced data visualization tool can accelerate and deepen regional partnerships designed to spur innovation in STEM-based industries and education. The project focuses on: (1) assessing the potential of advanced visualization tools using a robust sample of regional STEM partnership data records, (2) catalyzing the formation of a regional research and applications partnership around visual analytics in support of STEM education and innovation, and (3) developing a visual analytics research and development agenda that is responsive to academic, business and educational partners in the region. The primary work is to test an advanced data visualization tool - Starlight - to learn how it can organize and depict research, data, personnel and institutions in a dynamic visual environment to map connectivity between STEM assets. Ultimately, the project explores how to operationally and intellectually link tri-state regional assets into a dynamic network that supports a robust STEM innovation ecosystem. The robustness of a regional innovation ecosystem depends on the degree to which purposeful and dynamic connections are made between and among ideas, institutions and the individuals who work within this ecosystem - those engaged in university and private research, commercialization, business and finance, government and K-20 education. The making of such connections is driven by need and/or opportunity, as conditioned by situational awareness and the social, political and cultural characteristics of the regional ecosystem. The project is studying how visualization tools can help regional actors surmount the barriers to effective situational awareness that are caused by the plethora of actors and resultant large amounts of dispersed data.Among the questions being asked in this project are: How can we best understand, organize, and utilize a region's STEM assets, including those funded by the NSF, to spur educational and economic innovation? How can Starlight be used to organize complex sets of information (STEM assets) to improve economic performance and accelerate the development of regional social capital? How do the characteristics of key asset classes in the region compare to the characteristics of vibrant regional innovation centers? What (a) visualization outputs and (b) user interfaces with the tools facilitate productive, collaborative engagement by key stakeholders with the process and outputs of visual analysis and mapping? Can we identify a common set of user interface characteristics that is effective across a wide range of stakeholder segments?