August 10th, 2010 by Stuart Woodward
Most geographies suffer at least one form of natural calamity.
This week Moscow is being ravaged by forest fires, in India it’s mud slides, California suffers earthquakes, the Midwestern states experience tornados and here in Florida we are one-third of the way through the 2010 hurricane season.
As a child growing up in the Midwest, I learned about tornados and how suddenly they can pop up. Years later, working in California I experienced, without warning, an earthquake in Los Angeles.
Data Hurricane
OcuCue’s offices are located in Vero Beach, Florida, just three miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Since moving here 20 years ago, we have survived three hurricanes in our area and feel acclimated to the annual “hurricane season” frenzy.
What’s interesting about hurricanes compared to the other forms of calamity is the extent to which we track them and can anticipate their movement. Whenever tropical depressions or storms are brewing, Floridians consult the National Weather Service or other favorite source, continuously.
Over the years I have come to appreciate the highly visual data presentations of hurricane movement. You may be familiar with “Tropical Update” on the Weather Channel. The visual images are rich:
• Satellite photos
• Radar in motion
• Various wind indicators
• Millibars for barometric pressure
• Predictive path models and
• Hurricane Hunter readings from the eye of the storm
We have become accustomed to seeing the visual representations—all based on lots of data and complex analysis and modeling. These visual representations bring the data to life.
Even when the data are not clear, such as when the five or six predicted hurricane paths diverge, one can see each one in a separate color and get the gist that these are predictions and that they vary.
Today, we get a much better understanding of “Data Hurricanes” because we rely on visual analytic presentation. We can apply these same powerful communication approaches to bring IP Networking data to life and to make that data actionable.
SEE IT. FIX IT.