Integrating Knowledge and Information: Digital Concept Maps as a Bridging Technology

Abstract

Current affordances in educational and workplace settings have much to do with managing and making use of complex knowledge and a diversity of information resources. Knowledge and information visualizations are used to make structures of knowledge and information apparent, as well as to help users coping with complex tasks and ill-structured subject matter. Knowledge visualization aims at assisting the users in learning and problem solving. Information visualization aims at helping users to explore large amounts of data by making use of the human cognitive ability to see patterns and by using interactive filtering techniques. Both approaches suffer from shortcomings resulting from the limitations of their conceptual rationale, as well as those of the representational techniques and methods used for visualization. These shortcomings may not easily be overcome with means provided by the individual approaches alone. It is suggested that synergies may be revealed when ideas and technologies from both fields are brought together. Along these lines, the Special Issue draws attention to digital concept mapping as a bridging technology to overcome shortcomings in visualizing knowledge and information. This introductory paper serves the purpose of outlining the rationale and goals of the special issue. It provides a preview of the relevance of each paper's contributions to the central theme of this issue.