VizAfrica
VizAfrica is an conference series promoting and scrutinising the visualisation of data about Africa.
Data, information and scientific visualization uses uncomplicated language to simplify things into concepts that can be easily grasped in graphical format enabling easy understanding/insight and ability to understand cross-cutting complex issues and understand patterns to inform formation of successful strategies and solutions.
Visualization is an important asset in this data era because:
- It manages influxes of new information making it easy to identify trends.
- It facilitates understanding of complex and cross-cutting issues enabling predictive futuristic scientific modelling.
- It brings crucial correlations and relationships into focus.
- It enables sharing of insights as it is more attractive.
- It makes data valuable and understandable across all disciplines.
- It easily and quickly identifies outliers in data.
- It facilitates quick memorization of important insights and concepts.
- It facilitates faster decision making
- It narrates a story visually hence simplifying a complicated message.
- It can be tailored for a specific target audience to aid better understanding of the information being presented.
- It enables prevention of information overload to the user.
- It is for all disciplines.
Whereas data visualization has great potential to understand trends and aid in decision making, its application has not been extensive. This is partly due to the limited understanding of the concepts and the misconception that visualization is complex requiring extensive ICT knowledge. We therefore seek to demystify the misconception and create awareness about visualization to enable its widespread adoption. This will result in its application with the consequence of better understanding of trends and patterns of events which will have profound improvement in decision making. Improved decision making will bolster alignment of programmes and resources for optimum achievement of results. Visualization can therefore play a role in the realization of global development agenda such as Sustainable Development Goals as well as national development goals.
Previous Conferences
VizAfrica Botswana 2019
University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana