Data visualization took center stage this week with the launch of Sonar Solo, a new tool for analyzing Twitter trends. Developed by Bottlenose, the app provides near real time visibility into social activity via a graphical interface that displays a wide range of sentiment indicators, from citation volumes to the tweet velocity of a given term or topic.

Unlike traditional social discovery apps, which are for the most part static, Sonar Solo dynamically scans social data to let users drill down into specific data points and watch them evolve. The software delivers this functionality using technology borrowed Nerve Center, a streaming data analytics tool that Bottlenose released earlier this month. Whereas Sonar Solo only allows for analysis of a limited number of tweets, Nerve Center can be used to ingest and visualize millions of tweets. Bottlenose claims that the platform is also capable of processing fast-moving operational data, which organizations are increasingly tapping to drive efficiencies and identify new revenue opportunities.

Like Bottlenose, Roambi is working to make data visualization more accessible for consumers. The company recently announced Analytics 7, the newest version of its hugely popular Big Data app for iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch devices. The tool sports a new interface that complements the minimalist design of iOS7. Included in the UI is a customizable dashboards and a set of 11 pre-designed templates for mapping data patterns.

Roambi has recognized that mobile is driving analytics adoption across both the consumer space and the enterprise, where the technology is disrupting IT infrastructure business models. On the backup side, vendors like Druva are helping organizations transform data protection into a viable asset. The company just raised $25 million in Series C funding to accelerate the development of its InSync suite, which ensures the availability of mission-critical information with advanced file sharing, encryption and auditing capabilities.