Arkansas researchers will play an important role in a national effort to drive innovation through mass amounts of data.   

The Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina’s Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) will co-direct the effort to develop a Big Data Regional Innovation Hub serving 16 Southern states — including Arkansas — and the District of Columbia.

The South Big Data Regional Innovation Hub (South BD Hub), which will be managed jointly by Georgia Tech and UNC-Chapel Hill, is part of the National Science Foundation’s four Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs (BD Hubs) announced this week.  For the national news release, please click here.

NSF officials expect the regional hubs to accelerate current efforts to “access, analyze and draw insights from massive amounts of data” in a variety of fields, with the potential to improve efficiency and ultimately lead to a higher quality of life.

In Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will take the lead, becoming the hub for visualization and interactive analytics tools for big data, said Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, director of the George W. Donaghey UALR Emerging Analytics Center.  

Cruz-Neira is a senior partner for the South BD Hub and also will serve on its steering committee.  

Visualization is the key to understanding big data, Cruz-Neira said, adding that visual analytics impact everything from corporate decisions, to cutting-edge research, to national security, to entertainment.

“Basically, visualization applies to the entire spectrum of human activities,” Cruz-Neira said.

The new collaboration will provide connections and opportunities for problem-solving that could benefit numerous industries, Cruz-Neira said, as institutions with their own unique analytics-related strengths combine their expertise.

For the full regional news release, please click here.