Topic Heat Maps `[IMPLEMENTED]`

# Overview

Topic Heat Maps provide visual insight into the frequency and recency of topics presented at past BATbern events. By visualizing 20+ years of event history, heat maps help organizers:

• Identify evergreen topics that consistently attract interest
• Spot emerging trends in architectural practice
• Avoid over-repetition of recently covered topics
• Discover gaps in coverage for future planning
• Make data-driven decisions during topic selection (Workflow Step 2)

The heat map uses a color-coded matrix where warmer colors (red, orange) indicate frequent or recent topics, while cooler colors (blue, green) show less frequently covered areas.

# When to Use This Feature

# Primary Use Cases

1. During Event Planning (Workflow Step 2 - Topic Selection)

   • Review historical coverage before finalizing event topics
   • Ensure topic diversity across multiple events
   • Balance popular topics with underrepresented areas

2. Strategic Planning

   • Identify content gaps in multi-year roadmap
   • Analyze trends in architectural practice evolution
   • Plan topic rotation schedules

3. Speaker Brainstorming (Workflow Step 3)

   • Match speaker expertise to underrepresented topics
   • Prioritize speakers for emerging or evergreen topics

# Recommended Frequency

• Before each event planning cycle: Review heat map during Step 2
• Quarterly: Strategic review of content gaps and trends
• Annually: Multi-year pattern analysis for long-term planning

# How It Works

# Accessing the Heat Map

1. Navigate to Topic Selection in Phase A (Setup) workflow
2. Click “View Topic Heat Map” button in the Topic Backlog section
3. The heat map overlay will display over your current view

# Understanding the Visualization

# Color Scale

# Matrix Layout

• Rows: Topic categories (e.g., “Sustainable Architecture”, “Urban Planning”, “Building Technology”)
• Columns: Time periods (e.g., “Last Year”, “2-3 Years Ago”, “4-5 Years Ago”, “5+ Years Ago”)
• Cells: Individual topics with color-coded frequency indicators
• Tooltips: Hover over any cell to see exact event count and most recent date

# Interpreting the Data

# Decision Guidelines

🔴 Dark Red Topics
→ Consider AVOIDING unless:
  • Significant new development in the field
  • High attendee demand (survey data)
  • Expert speaker available with unique angle

🟠 Orange Topics
→ USE CAUTIOUSLY
  • Ensure fresh perspective if selecting
  • Look for subtopics not previously covered

🟡 Yellow Topics
→ GOOD CANDIDATES
  • Enough time has passed for new developments
  • Attendees may have forgotten earlier coverage

🟢 Green Topics
→ PRIORITY CANDIDATES
  • Underrepresented areas
  • Potential for fresh content
  • Balance your event portfolio

🔵 Blue Topics (Never Covered)
→ EXPLORE CAREFULLY
  • May indicate niche interest
  • Test with speaker brainstorming first
  • Consider attendee demand before committing

# Example Workflow

Scenario: Planning BATbern Event #45 - Topic Selection

1. Open Heat Map during Workflow Step 2
2. Review Red/Orange Topics:
   • “Passive House Standards” = 🔴 (covered at Event #43, #41, #38)
   • Decision: Skip unless major code updates
3. Identify Green Topics:
   • “Timber Construction Innovation” = 🟢 (covered once at Event #32)
   • Decision: Good candidate if speaker available
4. Explore Blue Topics:
   • “AI in Architectural Design” = 🔵 (never covered)
   • Decision: Emerging trend, validate demand with advisory board
5. Select Balanced Mix:
   • 2 green topics (underrepresented)
   • 1 yellow topic (moderate recency)
   • 1 blue topic (emerging, validated demand)

# Filtering & Refinement

The heat map supports interactive filtering:

• Time Range: Focus on last 5/10/15/20+ years
• Topic Categories: Show only specific categories (e.g., “Technology”, “Sustainability”)
• Event Types: Filter by event format (full-day, afternoon, evening)
• Minimum Threshold: Hide topics with less than N occurrences

Example Filter: “Show all Technology topics from last 10 years with at least 2 occurrences”

# Tips & Best Practices

# Strategic Insights

1. Balance is Key

   • Don’t over-rotate on blue topics (risk of low demand)
   • Don’t avoid all red topics (some have evergreen appeal)
   • Aim for 60% green/yellow, 30% orange, 10% red/blue

2. Context Matters

   • Red topics may be justified if industry regulations changed
   • Blue topics may indicate emerging fields worth exploring
   • Green topics aren’t automatically “better” - consider demand

3. Combine with Other Data

   • Cross-reference with attendee surveys
   • Review speaker availability for underrepresented topics
   • Consider industry news and trends

4. Document Decisions

   • Add notes in Topic Backlog explaining why you selected red topics
   • Track which blue topics you tested and their reception
   • Share insights with future organizers

# Advanced Techniques

Pattern Recognition:

• Look for “cooling” topics (red → orange → yellow over time)
• Identify “rising” topics (blue → green → yellow, increasing frequency)
• Spot cyclical topics (appear every 4-5 events consistently)

Gap Analysis:

• Export heat map data to identify systematic coverage gaps
• Plan multi-year topic rotation schedules
• Align with Swiss architectural practice evolution

Speaker Matching:

• Use heat map to prioritize speaker outreach for underrepresented topics
• Identify experts in blue/green areas for targeted recruitment

# Troubleshooting

# Common Issues

# “Heat map shows no data”

Cause: Historical data not loaded or filtered too aggressively

Solution:

1. Clear all filters (click “Reset Filters” button)
2. Expand time range to “All Time”
3. Verify you have historical events in the system (Admin → Event Archive)

# “Colors don’t match my expectations”

Cause: Misunderstanding the color scale or data calculation

Solution:

1. Hover over specific cells to see exact counts and dates
2. Review the color legend (top-right corner of heat map)
3. Remember: Color considers BOTH frequency AND recency

# “Topic I know we covered shows as blue (never covered)”

Cause: Topic name variation or historical data entry inconsistency

Solution:

1. Search for similar topic names (e.g., “BIM” vs “Building Information Modeling”)
2. Report to admin to consolidate duplicate topics
3. Use “Topic Aliases” feature to link related names [PLANNED]

# “Heat map is slow to load”

Cause: Large dataset (20+ years of events) loading client-side

Solution:

1. Use time range filters to reduce data volume
2. Pre-load heat map at start of planning session (cache lasts 24 hours)
3. Contact support if performance doesn’t improve

# Data Quality Issues

Missing Historical Data:

• Heat map only shows digitized events (typically last 20 years)
• Earlier events may need manual entry by admin
• Report gaps to admin team for backfill

Inconsistent Topic Names:

• “Sustainable Building” vs “Green Architecture” vs “Eco-Design”
• Admin can create topic aliases to merge related names [PLANNED]
• Use standardized topic list when entering new events

# Related Features

• Topic Backlog Management - Where heat map integrates into workflow
• Event Management - Historical event data source
• Analytics Dashboard - Additional event performance metrics [IMPLEMENTED]

# Technical Details

# Data Sources

• Events Table: Event metadata (date, number, type)
• Sessions Table: Individual presentations within events
• Topics Table: Standardized topic taxonomy
• Session_Topics Join Table: Many-to-many relationship

# Calculation Logic

Heat Score = (Frequency Weight × 0.6) + (Recency Weight × 0.4)

Frequency Weight:
- 0 occurrences: 0
- 1 occurrence: 0.2
- 2-3 occurrences: 0.4
- 4-5 occurrences: 0.6
- 6-10 occurrences: 0.8
- 11+ occurrences: 1.0

Recency Weight (events ago):
- 1-2 events ago: 1.0
- 3-5 events ago: 0.8
- 6-10 events ago: 0.6
- 11-15 events ago: 0.4
- 16-20 events ago: 0.2
- 21+ events ago: 0.0

# Performance

• Heat map data cached for 24 hours client-side
• ~50KB data transfer for 20 years of events
• Renders in <500ms on modern browsers
• Supports 1000+ unique topics efficiently

# Accessibility

• Color-blind friendly palette (uses patterns + color)
• Keyboard navigation supported (arrow keys to move between cells)
• Screen reader compatible (table structure with descriptive labels)
• High contrast mode available (Settings → Accessibility)

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