Bringing data to light

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Being able to find the "needle" of information in a "haystack" of millions of words is a capability with many beneficial uses, particularly to secure the homeland. For more than three decades, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed an array of information visualization tools to help find that crucial needle in the haystack.

Starlight, for example, effectively integrates structured, unstructured, spatial and multimedia data, offering comparisons of information at multiple levels of abstraction--simultaneously and in near real time. Starlight offers greatly enhanced information analysis and a gateway to new levels of understanding and decision-making.

The Innovation for Spatial Paradigm for Information Retrieval and Exploration (In-SPIRE) is a PNNL-developed information visualization technology that assigns a mathematical signature to text without requiring any knowledge or understanding of the content, and then automatically organizes the information and presents it graphically on a screen. Tools within the In-SPIRE suite enable analysts to explore relationships within the data that are expected, but almost always expose relationships that are unexpected and suggest further exploration.

Looking ahead, the Laboratory is leveraging its sizable information visualization investment for applications such as border security, detection of chemical and biological threats and counterterrorism. PNNL is focused on addressing capabilities needed to create a next-generation suite of predictive analysis and decision-support tools for early detection of terrorist action. This next-generation of information visualization technologies will provide a unique national resource for fighting the war on terrorism.