Cover story in CACM!
My paper (open access) on “Data Analysis Anywhere and Everywhere” was just published as the cover story in the December 2023 issue of the Communications of the ACM. This paper is one of the most important I have written, and summarizes my research for the last 15 years. It tells the story of my work on ubiquitous analytics as an application of ubiquitous computing, mobile technologies, and proxemic interaction to data visualization. As part of the paper, CACM also produced an excellent companion video that, in just 4 minutes and 44 seconds, captures the essence of my argument. See the video embedded below:
Smartphones and novel AR glasses can make data more accessible and useful than ever. The key insights from this paper are the following:
- Data is collected everywhere on our increasingly connected and information-rich globe.
- Mobile and IoT devices are becoming the world’s universal computing platforms.
- Immersive and mobile technologies are poised to help people leverage all this data for analytics conducted anytime and anywhere.
- This emerging genre of ubiquitous analytics is leveraging mobile devices, slim form-factor XR goggles, and cloud computing to help people make sense of data wherever they are, from the office, the factory floor, or even their own living rooms.
What is it about?
Smartphones, tablets, and the new generation of smart AR glasses can make data available anytime and anywhere. The key is to create visualizations embedded into the real world. People can control the visualizations to analyze the data. Such embedded visualizations can help you understand the world and make decisions wherever you are.
Why is it important?
The idea of a ubiquitous approach to data analysis is unique and transformative. It is based in how the human mind works where not just the brain but also the surrounding world guides our thinking.
Perspectives
This work summarizes the focus of my work for the last 15 years. Writing it gave me the chance to nail down fleeting ideas and key insights that have been circulating in my research—and my mind!—for more than a decade. I hope that this work will help guide both my own research in the future as well as that of my colleagues and audiences. — Niklas Elmqvist (November 2023)