Data Mining and Interaction Design Applied to the Research Work Activity

Based on the ergonomic approach of instrumental genesis and activity analysis, this article presents an example of the conception of artifacts that allows the exploration and study of complex social phenomena in relation with time and space using data (text and media) collected from the web on a specific topic. We developed information extraction algorithms and data visualization interfaces that allow researcher-knowledge interaction and knowledge sharing. These algorithms allowed us to identify and extract information from web about 2,341 “protests and strikes” in 131 countries over 2,000 years of history. The challenge was to organize all this information in a way that the user (Research Worker) could manipulate and explore it as a uniquely complex knowledge object, while optimizing the resources use and simplicity of the interface. The result is an interactive object published under the name RFS-project (Robocops, Flowers and Stones), which deploys the collective and global memory of protest and repression around the globe.