KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY TOOLS

The Semantic Map and Timeline were developed within the scope of netzspannung.org as dynamic interfaces, which allow the contents of the platform's extensive data archive to be intuitively explored. These "knowledge discovery tools" provide users with a better overall view, whet their appetite, and above all allow visual access to information.
Users are given the chance to choose between different information presentation modes in order to use these mode for exploratively search through the data and literally "discover knowledge".

There are two possible ways of accessing electronically stored data: through a precise targeted search or through an imprecise undirected "rummaging around". Searching presupposes that users know what they are looking for, that they can formulate their interest, and narrow or widen the definition as required. Rummaging around or browsing, on the other hand, implies that users allow themselves to be guided and inspired by what is presented to him. As Pablo Picasso said of this approach in his artistic work: "I do not search, I find."

Just as powerful telescopes allow astronomers to see and understand space, the knowledge discovery tools are instruments for looking through, reviewing, grasping and evaluating large volumes of data. They represent a kind of "observatory for the study and evaluation of the data cosmos". They are special tools that both afford an overall view of large heterogeneous data volumes and visualize the data stocks as contextualized knowledge spaces. Because they also support active structuring, processing and communicating, they are, in addition, tools for discovering and acquiring knowledge. They allow content and connections to be discovered that cannot be disclosed with the traditional methods of systematizing and presenting archive content.

The boundaries of rigid categorization systems associated with traditional archives are crossed, thus solving the difficult problem in media art of categorization in favour of visualizing information across disciplines. The classification of media art as lying at the interface between art, science and technology is made possible through the formation of semantic clusters, and through new navigation techniques.

[link 01] more about the Semantic Map
[link 02] more about the Timeline

Papers to Knowledge Discovery on netzspannung.org:

[link 03] STRAUSS, Wolfgang; [link 04] FLEISCHMANN, Monika; DENZINGER, Jochen; WOLF, Michael; LI, Yinlin: Knowledge Spaces: Cultural Education in the Media Age. In: Ghaoui, Claude (Hrsg.): E-Education Applications: Human Factors and Innovative Approaches. Hershey: Idea Group Publishing, 2004, S 291 - 307.
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NOVAK, Jasminko; WURST, Michael; SCHNEIDER, Martin; [link 06] FLEISCHMANN, Monika; [link 07] STRAUSS, Wolfgang: Discovering, Visualizing and Sharing Knowledge through Personalized Learning Knowledge Maps. In: Van Elst, Ludger (Hrsg.): Agent-Mediated Knowledge Management. Berlin: Springer Verlag, 2003, S. 231 - 228.
[link 08] Download