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What Is Knowledge Visualization? Eight Reflections on an Evolving Discipline

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Knowledge Visualization Currents

Abstract

Almost a “book within the book”, this chapter collates eight expert reflections on Knowledge Visualization; what it is and what it could or should be. An average of 825 words long, topics span from representation, storytelling, and criticizing the lack of theory, to communication, analytics for the masses and reasoning, to trendy Visual Thinking and creativity beyond PowerPoint. These individual views provide a picture of the present and the future of a discipline that comes at precisely the right time. Despite the diverse character of its parts, written by academics and practitioners alike, this unique compilation constitutes a whole, a facetted answer to the question in its title, thus aiming to convey a common understanding of visualizing the true resource of our time, knowledge.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter would not have come into existence without the kind support of all coauthors. Their dedication made it possible to put together such a varied “book within the book”. Thanks are also due to the peer reviewers who have provided valuable and encouraging comments on the original conference paper; and finally to Francis T. Marchese and Ebad Banissi who made this exciting volume a new home for an improved edition of the paper. Introduction and conclusion are my responsibility and do not necessarily reflect the views of all coauthors (Stefan Bertschi).

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Bertschi, S. et al. (2013). What Is Knowledge Visualization? Eight Reflections on an Evolving Discipline. In: Marchese, F., Banissi, E. (eds) Knowledge Visualization Currents. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4303-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4303-1_2

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