The informal talk describes four software development and deployment efforts. Three are interactive extensions of static graphic templates. The third concerns a general 3-D rendering capability for geometric structures and associated statistical summaries.
The first graphics template, called linked micromaps plots, is now part of a National Cancer Institute web site, http://statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/micromaps/. The talk reviews the software capability and comments on deployment barriers that have so far slowed the spread to other federal agencies.
Research has adapted the template, called row-labeled plots, to the assessment of data quality. The specific application is to data from NCI's SEER registries. Deployment is to be at both the local and national levels. Local registries are allowed to see more information and can respond more quickly to emerging problems.
The third template, called Conditioned Choropleth Maps (CCmaps) is near a new release. The interface uses partitioning sliders that encourage people to play with 5-dimensional data (two dimensions are map coordinates), see patterns, and generate hypotheses about the patterns. The talk covers new features (such as snapshots and cognostics), lessons learned and plans for the next version. The deployment dream remains international use by individuals and institutions. CCmaps has already sparked the development of somewhat similar software at EPA and in Korea.
The software called GLISTEN adapts basic GIS design ideas to 3-D rendering of
statistics. That is, the underlying 3-D coordinates are subject to
transformation and the views are composed of separate layers.
The big challenge is to develop a run time GUI that handles exchangeable
glyph selection and feature control, variable selection and transformations,
and global manipulations that many involve constraints across layers.
While only partly working, enough is implemented to show some interesting
bioinformatics and geometric examples.
* Numerous people have contributed. Special recognition for research and implementation goes to Yuguang Zhang for CCmaps and Yanling Liu for GLISTEN.