This course introduces students to Visual Analytics, or the science of analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces. Course lectures, reading assignments, and practical lab experiences will cover a mix of theoretical and technical Visual Analytics topics. Topics include analytical reasoning, human cognition and perception of visual information, visual representation and interaction technologies, data representation and transformation, production, presentation, and dissemination of analytic process results, and Visual Analytic case studies and applications. Furthermore, students will learn relevant Visual Analytics research trends such as Space, Time, and Multivariate Analytics and Extreme Scale Visual Analytics.

This course explores the emerging technologies that are driving the acceleration of applications and the data produced by them Big Data and its 5V characteristics – volume, velocity, veracity, variety and value –across industry, research and academia. Students will be introduced to a range of complemented technology disciplines like cybersecurity, virtual content delivery, artificial intelligence, and smart cities where the uses of real-time analysis on big datasets are applied. Particular focus will be paid to a review of a number of industry verticals and data related to how emerging technologies are used with an emphasis on privacy and ethical considerations.