ViewerCentric: Visualization engineering towards a tool for media discoverability

This ongoing project sees researchers from OCAD’s Visual Analytics Lab working closely with Magnify Digital. It applies data analytics strategies and visualization best practices to the development of ViewerCentric, a visualization dashboard that allows users in the film, television, and media distribution sectors to understand complex data sets.

The data sets include streaming social media data and static data related to consumer habits. Visualization of this complex data helps content creators to better understand their audiences, increasing their discoverability.

A key component of this research is finding ways of combining multiple data sets and presenting the results in an actionable way. The ViewerCentric interface provides its users with the means to develop effective and measurable, online marketing strategies; find and assess audiences, identify opportune channels for reaching these, and evaluate messaging, funding and advertising opportunities and reports that can be submitted to funders, broadcasters, sponsors, and stakeholders.

Researchers will extend the system to other cultural content that has or could have a digital component or tag such as visual art, live entertainment, music and publishing - supporting its discoverability and user analytics. Currently editors and independent producers rely on hunches and creative vision without understanding the varied demographic differences of their audiences into account, while advertising agencies and brands primarily consider data. The objective is to help cultural industries and not-for-profits monetize content and balance personalization, market drivers and editorial direction.

 

 

We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Cette recherche a été financée par le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG).

Friday, May 18, 2018 - 1:30pm

Meet & Greet with the Office of Research and Innovation

Clip art of two yellow figures shaking hands while standing on blue puzzles pieces
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 - 3:15pm to 4:30pm

Discover what services are available to support your research, learn about upcoming funding opportunities, and get to know the Office of Research and Innovation. A selection of OCAD U research projects will be on display and light refreshments will be served.

This meet-and-greet event runs from 3:15 to 4:30 on Wednesday March 7th 2018 in Room 187 (Lambert Lounge) at 100 McCaul.

For more information, please contact research@ocadu.ca.

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Venue & Address: 
Lambert Lounge, Room 187, 100 McCaul Street
Website: 
https://www.ocadu.ca/research
Email: 
research@ocadu.ca

OCAD University hosts 2017 Manning Innovation Symposium

Thursday, November 23, 2017

OCAD University is proud to host the seventh Manning Innovation Symposium on Thursday, November 30, 2017 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Presented by Freedom Mobile, the Symposium will connect Canadian innovators and post-secondary students with a goal to inspire them to choose innovation as a life or career choice.

“We are delighted to host the Manning Innovation Symposium at OCAD University - Canada’s university of the imagination,” says Dr. Sara Diamond, president and vice-chancellor, OCAD University. “It is our belief that art and design are central and driving components of all forms of innovation and we are pleased to engage with the community and share our ground-breaking research and pathways to innovation success.”

“The pathway to innovation can be indirect and daunting,” says Foundation President Jennifer Diakiw. “We are grateful for Freedom Mobile’s support, which is a demonstration of their commitment to inspiring young Canadians to consider innovation as a life or career choice.”

The theme of this year’s Innovation Symposium is “The Imagination to Innovate, the Stamina to Succeed.” Organized by and for students, the Symposium is comprised of two components:

In the first session, Ernest C. Manning Awards Laureates and two innovators linked to OCAD University will share stories that focus on their pathways to innovation success. The presentations are brief and informal and will be recorded and produced as YouTube videos, which will be widely distributed.

The second component, Innovation Mentorship in 12 Minutes, is an opportunity for students to engage with the innovators in a way that is more meaningful than a Q & A session. Similar to speed dating, small groups of students will have approximately 12 minutes with each innovator for conversation.

“Encouraging innovation in Canada’s young people is key to helping ensure the future growth, development and prosperity of our community,” says Chethan Lakshman, Vice-President, External Affairs, Freedom Mobile. “Events like the Manning Innovation Symposium champion the development of new ideas and new thinking that will help inspire the next generation.” 

“The pathway to innovation can be indirect and daunting,” says Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation President Jennifer Diakiw. “When the innovators share their stories, students hear about the challenges, but also the tremendous rewards.”

Ernest C. Manning Awards Laureates participating in the Symposium will include the 2017 winners to be announced at the 36th Manning Innovation Awards at Toronto’s Scotiabank Centre on Wednesday, November 29. They will be available for media interviews at the Innovation Symposium at 10:30 a.m. at OCAD U.

The Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation discovers, encourages and rewards outstanding Canadian innovators – and tells their stories. The Innovation Symposia, held in partnership with Canadian post-secondary institutions, are key pillars in encouraging young Canadians through the innovators’ stories.

 

Exhibition Opportunity and Job Opportunity

Exhibition and Job Opportunity
Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 11:15am to Monday, November 20, 2017 - 11:45pm

This year OCAD University is hosting the 2017 Manning Innovation Symposium on November 30 in the Great Hall. We'd like to display 2D student artwork in the space during the event, already existing artwork is welcome.

Please send your online submissions to Karen Kwon at kkwon@ocadu.ca.

Submission deadline is November 20 at 11:59pm.

Job opportunities for student monitors during the event on November 30, please contact kkwon@ocadu.ca if you have any questions.

Venue & Address: 
100 McCaul, The Great Hall, Room 270
Email: 
kkwon@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
(416)977-6000 ext. 4782

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Thursday, November 16, 2017 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Students from the Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation class are looking for help raising awareness of the importance of mental health by hosting a unique and immersive Yoga event, that aims to help students de-stress during a busy time of the school year. You are invited to participate!

This Yoga class is suitable for all levels and also includes snacks and raffle prizes. The class integrates projection lighting and music inspired by the calming qualities of the ocean.

GUIDED YOGA:
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
$5.00

SELF-GUIDED YOGA OR MEDITATION:
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Pay what you can

All proceeds go to OCAD U's Health & Wellness Centre

EVENT LINK:
www.facebook.com/events/361623294282870/

EVENT BRITE:
Tickets available online: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/calm-before-the-storm-immersive-yoga-experience-tickets-39463932685 

Venue & Address: 
Black Box, 49 McCaul Street
Website: 
www.facebook.com/events/361623294282870/
Cost: 
$5.00
CALM BEFORE THE STORM photo of person doing yoga on the beach

THE GRIND: Strategic Business Foresight w/ Alex Manu

Thursday, November 16, 2017 - 3:00pm to 6:00pm

This week at The Grind Speaker Series, we will be hosting a discussion with Alexander Manu, a professor here at OCAD U, who specializes in strategic innovation and management.

EVENT LINK:
https://www.facebook.com/events/166340593957372/?notif_t=plan_user_joined&notif_id=1510526680200507 

ABOUT THE GRIND:
The Grind is an incubator for students who want to start their own small business. The group aims to connect students interested in business/entrepreneurship, encourage collaboration and provide guest speakers, workshops and resources to assist participants in networking, learning new skills and portfolio building.

See more OCAD U student-run groups at www.ocadu.ca/studentgroups

Venue & Address: 
Imagination Catalyst, Level 8, 230 Richmond St. West
Website: 
www.facebook.com/thegrindocadu/
www.ocadu.ca/studentgroups
Email: 
thegrindocadu@gmail.com
Cost: 
FREE
The Grind graphic

Opportunity to Display Your Art

Open call for artwork to be displayed in the Great Hall during the 2017 Manning Innovation Symposium, Submission Deadline: November 10 at 11:59pm

Digital Governance

Digital governance is the central challenge facing governing institutions and societies in the coming decades where information knows no boundaries, power is dispersed and authority and accountability need to be reconceived. What is digital governance and why is 'digital' a governance issue?

Westminster parliamentary democracy is widely credited with a high capacity to adapt to societal evolution. Its ability to adapt to the realities of a digital society is putting this claim to the test. Westminster governments were never designed with the digital era in mind. Two forces – digital and governance – are meeting like tectonic plates, shifting the landscape and giving rise to new peaks and valleys around key governance questions that all Canadians need to be concerned about: Who has real power? How should decisions be made? How can all players make their voices heard and ensure that account is rendered?

Digital Governance, an sLab research project, explores unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing governing institutions and associated groups in the digital era. Through research and engagement activities the project develops a network equipped to understand these dynamics and to guide innovation. The initial partners are University of Victoria, Institute on Governance (IOG), OCAD University, Dalhousie University, and MIGHTY Purpose. Together with additional partners (to be identified) the Digital Governance team will build a digital governance research network.

Project Objectives:

  • Provide a platform for a national conversation on the issues and possibilities of digital technology and governance. The partnership has established itself as a Digital Governance Commission – a modernized, virtual royal commission that combines visibility, engagement and evidence based research, and that engages Canadians to develop practical solutions.
  • Recognize that the discussion must move beyond technological change to an understanding of the disruptive nature of digital transformation as an historic opportunity to recast the role and responsibilities of governments, citizens and other actors.
  • Explore emerging governance challenges and possibilities, but also specific practice areas such as evidence based policy analysis, advising ministers and legislators, citizen engagement, modernizing service delivery and realigning administrative systems to meet new and ever increasing demands on the part of governments at all levels.
  • Examine the new and emerging governance challenges of the Westminster system in light of the advent of digital, and to determine the transformative and evolutionary changes required of government and non-government actors in an evolving democratic environment across Canada.
  • Determine and articulate the new, core competencies required of all stakeholders and institutions (e.g. politicians, public servants, citizens, the private sector, and students) in the digital age.
  • Design a research program with windows of opportunity in mind in order to maximize impact and generate practical impetus for change.
  • Articulate the value brought to key stakeholders and include open, transparent and participatory methodologies on an ongoing basis.

 

For further information, please visit http://slab.ocadu.ca/project/digital-governance

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

 

Large text reading "Digital Governance: transforming government practice in the diigtal era"
SSHRC Logo
Monday, October 23, 2017 - 12:30pm

Visualizing Emergence

A project currently in development, Visualizing Emergence seeks to explore and visualize phenomena of emergence in data representing technologically mediated human communication and exchange within a techno-social complex adaptive system (CAS).

Using textual analysis and other data as substrate, research will focus on data from CIV-DDD partners, IBM Cognos and public sources, possibly including Twitter and other accessible APIs. In time we expect to aggregate data from additional sources. Leveraging senior researcher and student contributions from OCAD and York Universities, the project will explore and exploit a synthesis of scientific, artistic and aesthetic techniques, with software from partners including IBM / Cognos.

Project challenges include:

  • Finding the right data set; evaluating data quality
  • Representing, managing multi-variant data
  • Models, metaphors; legibility, navigation

Visualizing Emergence will examine model-based scientific visualization of complex data sets as well as emergent systems, data mining techniques and visualization. We will test, review and select the most appropriate software approach for developing the data models and generating dynamic results. The work will also deliver findings tied to the following CIV-DDD project aims: appropriateness of 2D or 3D visualizations, visualization aesthetics, and use of specific vs. generic tools.

 

For more information, please visit http://slab.ocadu.ca/project/visualizing-emergence .

Visualizing Emergence is supported by NCE-GRAND. This project is funded in part by the Centre for Information Visualization and Data Driven Design established by the Ontario Research Fund (ORF).

 

Sponsor(s): 
Photograph of sLab members Greg Van Alstyne and Trevor Haldenby working at a table
NCE logo
CIVDDD logo
Monday, October 23, 2017 - 11:45am

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