IPMAP: Current State and Perspectives

Organizations are collecting large volumes of data and processing and analyzing data in many complex ways. In such environments, the quality of data can be affected by a number of different hazards. Visual representation of the data processing environments can significantly ease the task of managing data quality. In this paper, we examine the state of research of one such visual representation, the Information Product Map (IPMAP). Our examination here is set in the context of recent trends in data collection and processing. Our objective is to motivate research that can spur insightful ideas and specifications that ought to be part of the next version of the IPMAP and similar visual representations. We look at it from three perspectives: what is needed for visualizing data manufacture, for evaluating data quality in the context of the decision task, and for evaluating data quality in inter-organizational settings. We motivate the importance of each and examine how the IPMAP can assist with each perspective.