Analysis, Visualization and Exploration Scenarios: Formal Methods for Systematic Meta Studies of Big Data Applications

There is not much doubt that the progress of information and communication technologies, the computerization of all areas of life, and the engagement of increasingly more human beings in the usage of computerized gadgets results in an enormous growth of data available. The data available bear potential for solving urgent problems such as, e.g., forecasting of the spreading of diseases and related prevention, the estimation of the impact of forthcoming disasters like sinkholes, earthquakes, and tsunamies and the preparation of adequate measures, or the development of more precise weather forecasts, to name just a few. Data need to be analyzed. There is a manifold of methodologies and tools to support human exploration. How to do this is treated as an art. But scenarios of data analysis, visualization, and exploration are not yet considered. The present work is intended to fill the gap and to contribute to a paradigmatic shift from the art to a science.