About

The goal of is to rethink how we organize theories, data, and assumptions towards conceptualizing phenomena and implementing models.

In , you capture concepts and their relationships. Users tap into their discipline- and domain-specific knowledge and expertise to identify relevant concepts and define their relationships. Data and documentation-from journal articles, quantitative datasets, qualitative observations and locations-can be attached to the concepts and relationships in order to provide traceability in resulting models. To facilitate conceptualization and theoretical insights, automatically derives a concept map that can be filtered to visualize components of interest.

Teams can share collections in , providing a central way to catalog ideas and research in a central repository. This virtual environment not only facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration and discussion through organization and visualization of concepts and their relationships, it also provides a means for tracing and documenting the components of potential co-created models.

As a tool for supporting STEM education, instills young researchers into documenting assumptions, theory, and data; connect these to concepts and theories; visualize the connections and relationships; and experience the importance of evidence-based model design principles.

Currently, supports basic geo-mapping capabilities, graphic visualization of database inputs, team collaboration, model export capabilities to text or CSV files, and access to public models.

Funding

is a VMASC/ODU initiative to support multidisciplinary collaboration and STEM education supported by:

• Office of Naval Research (ONR) - Minerva Initiative:
  https://minerva.defense.gov/Research/Awarded-Projects/2018-Research-Awards/Article/1931667/computational-framework-for-assessing-absorptive-capacity/
  
  Participating Organizations: Old Dominion University/VMASC with consultants from University of Agder (Norway), University of the Western Cape (South Africa), University of the Aegean (Greece).
  
  
• Virginia, Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center - VMASC:
  https://www.odu.edu/vmasc
  https://www.storymodelers.org
  
  
• Center of Excellence in Cyber Security:
  https://www.nsu.edu/Academics/Research/Foundations-and-Centers-of-Excellence/Cybersecurity-COE
  
  Funding Organization: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OASD(R&E)).
  Participating Organizations: Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University/VMASC