Boeing in conjunction with Brazilian university researchers and Mitacs of Canada, expect ideas that were generated during a two-day Visual Analytics workshop in Sao Paulo to lead to high-tech projects and long-term collaboration in advanced scientific analysis technology.

Visual Analytics (VA) dramatically speeds up the analysis of complex data by combining the way scientists visualize information with a variety of ways to analyze it, and then uses mobile devices to compile the results and make it easier for people to make better decisions.

Boeing applies VA to the aerospace industry with applications such as aircraft pilot safety reports and maintenance manuals, while Brazilian researchers are looking for possible uses in the health-care industry.

"The Boeing Company is more than an aircraft manufacturer; it is above all a technology company," said Donna Hrinak, president of Boeing Brazil.

"We are in Brazil for the long term to build partnerships, not only with Brazilian industry, but also with universities and research and development centers.

"This workshop is an excellent example of a collaboration that will have benefits beyond one company and one country. I expect this workshop to be the foundation for a number of future projects among these partners."

The March 24-25 workshop, attended by researchers from the Brazil Visual Analytics (BRAVA) Initiative and Canada with guidance from Boeing Technical Fellows, created an international VA research community and drew on ideas and potential VA solutions from hundreds of researchers.

"We are putting a great effort into this initiative because it is an opportunity to expand our research network in the new field of VA," said Junia Anacleto, a professor at the Federal University of Sao Carlos and coordinator of the Laboratorio de Interacao Avancada (Advanced Interaction Laboratory) and the BRAVA initiative.

"Mitacs has been collaborating with Boeing through Boeing's Canadian subsidiary AeroInfo Systems since 2007," said Duncan Phillips, Mitacs vice president of Strategic Projects.

"This workshop and expanded collaboration around VA is the natural next step and Mitacs is pleased to be working with Boeing to bring together top Brazilian and Canadian researchers in the field."