Martin Dodge, he of “Mapping Cyberspace” realm, sends along this helpful post:

“Hello, I've just
been browsing through a fascinating new book on maps and spatialisations, many
of networks, info spaces and online conversations.

“It has many interesting
essays and a rich array of illustrations.

“Else/Where: Mapping: New
Cartographies of Networks and Territories edited by Janet Abrams and Peter Hall
see http://design.umn.edu/go/project/elsewheremapping“

And Martin's e-mail took
us, eventually, to The Design Institute at the University of Minnesota.  Drill down in the DI site a bit: a lot of
interesting resources and topics for those of us interested in data, networks,
infographics, user interface, IA, etc.

The Design Institute (DI) develops advanced
research, educational programs and interdisciplinary partnerships to improve
design in the public realm.

Established as one of the University of Minnesota's
Strategic Interdisciplinary Initiatives, with recurring funds from the
Minnesota Legislature, the DI addresses products, systems and environments, as
well as the underlying social processes that bring our everyday material
landscape into being.

The DI is particularly interested in the design
implications of emerging technologies — in the nexus of communications media
and public space.

Looking beyond issues of styling, the Design
Institute regards design as a strategic mode of thinking, a form of conflict
resolution whose tangible outcomes express successful negotiation of diverse
values and interests.

The Design Institute's Fellows program, workshops,
publications and events foster new models for collaboration between diverse
fields of inquiry.

By supporting the development of new prototypes,
and enabling young practitioners to create their next significant work, the DI
champions expanded design choices to enhance citizens' lives, in Minnesota and
nationwide.

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