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Message From The Director

Since opening our doors, The Parsons Institute for Information Mapping (PIIM) become the prominent authority in the field of Knowledge Visualization. We have accomplished this by tightly integrating our Research, Development, and Professional Services activities into all work we accomplish.

As the leading research entity at The New School , our design, visualization, engineering, and education/training-based work for government, public, and private organizations begins and ends with formal research. Our team draws upon and contributes to the work conducted at academic institutions from around the world. Ultimately, each and every endeavor is incorporated into the innovative solutions we deliver to our clients.

Our capabilities in Graphic User Interface (GUI) and Interaction Design have increased tremendously since our early days of developing complex information maps. I'm happy to say that our work has become as good as or even better than many high-end commercial outfits. Our designers and visualization experts are uniquely chosen from a wide range of industry, commercial, and agency backgrounds — each selected to bring a high-level of design and technology expertise to PIIM.

Additionally, our Usability practice has grown from a nascent focus into a central tenet of every project in which we engage. Our usability professionals bring experience ranging from the New York Stock Exchange to the U.S. Air Force. Our team has enabled a tight integration with our Visualization-Driven Rapid Prototyping process and overall program management methodologies.

As the Director of PIIM I have had the honor of overseeing the delivery of truly spectacular work and engaging in each of our research initiatives. We continue to receive tremendous support from The New School , its many departments, and The Office of The President. This success is a result of the dedication of PIIM's employees to deliver the highest quality work each and every day.

As PIIM continues its steadfast move into the future we will be enhancing our capabilities, efforts, and interactions with clients, developing more innovative technology products, expanding our research initiatives, and advancing our educational and training-based work. As a one-of-a-kind facility that truly unites Research, Development, and Professional Services I am excited for the future.

I extend my sincere gratitude to each employee and supporter of PIIM who has helped build and shape this very unique organization. I look forward to collaborating with everyone in the many years to come.

Brian Willison
Director, Parsons Institute for Information Mapping
(212) 229-6825