A clinical predictive algorithm is only as good as the visualization that it employs to convey that information to the user. The visualization or ‘viz’ is the graphic output of an algorithm used to consume ‘big data’. The idea is that a simple graphic object, be it two or three-dimensional, can be used to dynamically illustrate the current state of the data or the output of an algorithm.

Should data visualizations be considered for their abstract artistic value? No, but a concise visualization that provides a summation of the originating data along with the overall score such as OBS Medical’s Visensis Safety Index score shown on the right.