title: Visualization of Multidimensional Data in Nursing Science.
abstract: Nursing scientists have long been interested in complex, context-dependent questions addressing individual- and population-level challenges in health and illness. These critical questions require multilevel data (e.g., genetic, physiologic, biologic, behavioral, affective, and social). Advances in data-gathering methods have resulted in the collection of large sets of complex, multifaceted, and often non-comparable data. Scientific visualization is a powerful methodological tool for facilitating understanding of these multidimensional data sets. Our purpose is to demonstrate the utility of scientific visualization as a method for identifying associations, patterns, and trends in multidimensional data as exemplified in two studies. We describe a brief history of visual analysis, processes involved in scientific visualization, and opportunities and challenges in the use of visualization methods. Scientific visualization can play a crucial role in helping nurse scientists make sense of the structure and underlying patterns in their data to answer vital questions in the field.
authors.affiliation: 1 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Sharron L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Docherty
authors.affiliation: 1 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vorderstrasse
authors.affiliation: 1 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brandon
authors.affiliation: 1 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
keywords: Big Data; data analysis; data integration; data science; multidimensional data; visualization