Collaborative Research Center

SFB-TRR 161

Quantitative Methods for Visual Computing

We are living in a data society in which data is generated at amazing speed; individuals, companies, organizations, and governments are on the brink of being drawn into a massive deluge of data. The great challenge is to extract the relevant information from vast amounts of data and communicate it effectively.

Typical scenarios include decision and policy making for urban and environmental planning or understanding relationships and dependencies in complex networks, e.g., social networks or networks from the field of bioinformatics. These scenarios are not only of interest to specialized experts; in fact, there is a trend toward including the broad public, which requires the information to be presented in a reliable, faithful, and easy-to-understand fashion.

Visual computing can play a key role in extracting and presenting the relevant information.

In visual computing research the aspect of quantification is often neglected. The SFB-TRR 161 seeks to close this gap.

The long-term goal is to strengthen the research field by establishing the paradigm of quantitative science in visual computing.

About the SFB-TRR 161

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SFB-TRR 161 Events

May 7, 2026, full day

TU Berlin

5^th Workshop on Women* in Computing: Finding Balance – Juggling Obligations, Working Domains, Work & Life

In this half-day workshop, we focus on how to find balance, which includes balance between work and life, (mental) health, and juggling multiple obligations. We have invited a selected number of successful researchers from industry and academia who will take the stage to share their perspectives and unique insights into their careers and research domains. With this event, we aim to foster mentorship in career development for young (female) researchers by establishing and strengthening a network of Women* in Computing.

This is an event about, from and with women in computing, but by no means exclusively "for" them. All are welcome!

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Jun 1st, 2026, 10.30 - 11.30 am
ETVIS 2026

Keynote | Thinking with the Eye, the Hand, and the Page
                               --- supported by SFB-TRR 161 ---

Held by:

Barbara Tversky, Stanford University and Columbia University

Abstract:

As many have noted, thought does not happen just between the ears. We use the space around us and our actions in it to think, communicate, and create. Artists, architects, mathematicians, in fact, all of us, put thought on a page because the mind cannot hold all our thoughts. When artists and architects sketch, words get in the way. When they reexamine their sketches, they get new ideas, ideas they had not intended. Sketches are messy, meant to be ambiguous and stimulate new interpretations. Visualizations like maps and diagrams also use lines, to convey information unambiguously. Hands draw lines, the eye is biased to see lines, lines link ideas in the mind and neurons in the brain. The thinking is in the loop, the eye, the hand, and the mind, presenting challenges to GenAI.

More information about ETVIS 2026

Jun 16th - 17th, 2026, full days

Berghotel Jägerhof, Isny

Internal Status Seminar of the SFB-TRR 161

Past Events