What if anyone could use the power of big data to ask and answer questions? What good is big data if it can’t help us make better decisions? The international Places & Spaces exhibit (scimaps.org) showcases creative approaches to the visualization of scientific endeavors. This year Places & Spaces expanded from exhibiting static maps of science to interactive data visualizations we call macroscopes. Macroscopes are software tools that help people focus on patterns in data that are too large or complex to view unaided. Interactive by nature, you can use them to visually explore data and to ask and answer new questions. Meet our first four macroscopes and learn more about the challenges of bringing this format to the gallery floor. We will share our process in working with researchers to create a unified presentation of four data visualizations that allow visitors to interact with weather, publications, global news, and cultural migration data. This session will address lessons learned in connecting the work of leading information visualization specialists and data scientists with the general public, from defining submission requirements, presenting the work of multiple software projects across a unified platform, constructing a traveling touchscreen kiosk, and communicating with a variety of audiences. We will tackle questions such as: • Which requirements do you really need to define before asking for submissions or proposals? • What skills do you need on your team to bring interactive data visualizations to the exhibit floor? • How will visitors interact with the content? What is the user experience? • What pitfalls might one encounter in crossing the divides between academia, industry, and informal science education? • What intellectual property concerns might relate to the use of data? Speaker(s) Session Leader : Lisel Record, Curator, Indiana University MCN 2016 Presenting Sponsor: Piction New Orleans, LA