Rosenblum Response

1
Rosenblum Response

• Larry Rosenblum
• National Science Foundation
• (response represents my individual opinion does
  not represent the Foundation or any official
  government position)

2
Response List Initial Thoughts

• Whats right about the report
• Excellent emphasis on need for
• Evaluation
• Integration with area specialists who are users
• Good focus on education
• Suggested modification of grant review criteria
  would help field
• Suggests multi-agency approach, which may be way
  to accomplish goals
• Good write-up on medical issues
• Good discussion about how federal funding stops
  short of development into usable software
• Roadmap is good vision

3
Response

• Whats wrong about the report
• Does not make strong case for funding in a
  difficult funding period (excepting NIH, whose
  budget is doubling)
• Where are the new, exciting areas?
• Many science, engineering applications not well
  discussed
• In introduction, not clear what has changed over
  15 years
• Overemphasis on medical visualization
• Example of evaluation using oncologists is
  questionable, because for certain fields (e.g.,
  medicine, sonar) experience of user is key to
  acceptance
• Application spotlight is health costs, medicine,
  vis. for public, education, and a brief
  discussion of sensors where is the balance
• Although discussion of evaluation is generally
  good, usability studies should be inserted at
  start of work and maintained throughout
• Fostering interdisciplinary research sounds good
  but is hard in practice for reasons we all know
  can we point to success stories as pathway
• Does K-6 education really make sense?
• In DoD funding, ONR is missing (more funds than
  NRO and ARO)

4

• Finding in section 1.6.2 re. stuck in transition
  could be an argument for stopping funding
• Infovis called most impoverished (in light of
  NVAC)
• Wasnt original intent to lay out status w/o
  asking for funding??
• Whats missing about the report
• Little about visual analytics need to make
  case why NSF must drive long-term research in
  support of NVAC
• Mobile visualization missing, but this is
  exciting new area
• ONR workshop/cga report/book in 1993/94 lead to
  ONR program in volume visualization and
  subsequently mobile visualization in general,
  could use appendix of funded programs
• In application section, where is fluid flow,
  molecular modeling, engineering design, mobile
  visualization, geophysics exploration, homeland
  security, and finance (just to name a few)
• Visualization in education Perhaps work such as
  Jim Blinns math/physics educational films circa
  1989 can be used to demonstrate pedantic potential