Web analytics firm WebSideStory this week announced the acquisition of privately held Visual Sciences, LLC - which specializes in streaming data analysis and visualization software - for $57.3 million in cash and stock, reports MediaPost. Visual Sciences will bring multi-channel tracking to WebSideStory's HBX platform and gives WebSideStory a foothold in the government market, where Visual Sciences has several customers, writes ClickZ.

"Visual Sciences has been acting in stealth mode for the past three years, and they by far have the most phenomenal product on the market," Bryan Eisenberg, cofounder of Future Now and chairman of the Web Analytics Association, told ClickZs. "And unlike any other business intelligence tool, theirs is really designed for marketers."

"This shows that WebSideStory is moving away from the web analytics vendor category, and continuing to become more of a marketing analytics company," Jim Sterne, principal at Target Marketing and president of the Web Analytics Association, is quoted by ClickZ as saying.

Visual Sciences will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of WebSideStory, with cofounders Jim MacIntyre and David Scherer serving as CEO and CTO, respectively.