Data.Mine

Data.Mine is a research cluster at the School of Design Innovation that deals with innovation in data generation, retrieval, analysis, and presentation.

Overview

Data.Mine is a research cluster that deals with innovation in data generation, retrieval, analysis and presentation. The goal of the lab is to further understanding of the cultural contexts, analytical techniques and design requirements to extract meaning and insight from data. Towards this goal, the lab develops tools for improved collection and presentation of informative, persuasive and critical data representations that allow us to design better solutions and increase our awareness and understanding of systems and processes.

Data.Mine strives to establish media design as a thought leader in design-led data analysis research and creative productions.

Research aims and objectives

Aims

• develop further insight into creative techniques for collection and retrieval of data.
• investigate how user generated data can be re-contextualized through digital and physical design.
• advance critical thinking on the generation, analysis and representation of culturally relevant data sets.

Objectives

• development of custom hardware, software and analysis pipelines for data contextualization.
• partner with the University’s Innovation Incubator to advance the lab’s initiatives as well as advance the school’s expertise in cloud computing.
• contribute new tools, data, methods and platforms to the global open-data community

Postgraduate learning objectives

• gain experience working in a collaborative environment
• develop skills for designing robust, high tolerant interactive systems
• integrate design across the physical/digital spectrum
• learn strategies and techniques for building immersive and engaging data driven experiences.

Projects

Digital Workshops of the World

This project investigates the global migratory patterns of visual effects workers. The project leverages the same social network technology used in communities like Facebook and Twitter to analyse how cultural, economic, and media forces influence the movement of skilled labour producers of film, commercials, and video games.

Creative Intelligence Laboratory

Artificial intelligence techniques will revolutionise the creative process. Neural network approaches are quickly reshaping the field of design with a continuing barrage of new capabilities. We are at the cusp of a second revolution in media design which will be more disruptive than the previous shift from analogue to digital.

The Creative Intelligence Laboratory pioneers techniques to harness the potential of these new digital systems. Creative processes are re-imagined in the context of digital tools that have evolved from mechanical to intelligent. Current interface conventions for most digital tools are modelled on dictation, but these will be displaced by those favouring conversation. Within media design, these systems will greatly amplify the potential of content creators. Broadly applicable creative intelligent systems are being prototyped in order to provide creative solutions to practitioners across other specialised disciplines.

Commodify.us

Commodify.us is a web application that allows people to visualise and license their Facebook data directly to marketers. After exporting it from Facebook and uploading it to commodify.us, users can choose to license their anonymised data under private, fair use, or commercial licenses and effectively cut out the middle man.

This project intends to correct an imbalance of power in the use of personal information by enabling users to enter a market for their data. As authors and owners, users can become active participants in new streams of creative output. Individuals can change how their data is shared or sold at any time through options in their profile, including an option to delete their account and all their data.

Physical data

We are investigating methods and technology for real-time monitoring and reporting of environmental data in physical 'data sculptures'. The premise is to investigate how the expertise of designers in creating expressive tactile objects can be combined with statistical representation of data to create physical structures that engage and inform.

Partners

Data.Mine is funded in part by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund.

Coordinators