A Decision Support System For The Intelligence Satellite Analyst

The study developed a decision support system known as Visual Analytic Cognitive Model (VACOM) to support the Intelligence Analyst (IA) in satellite information processing task within a Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) domain. As a visual analytics, VACOM contains the image processing algorithms, a cognitive network of the IA mental model, and a Bayesian belief model for satellite information processing. A cognitive analysis tool helps to identify eight knowledge levels in a satellite information processing. These are, spatial, prototypical, contextual, temporal, semantic, pragmatic, intentional, and inferential knowledge levels, respectively. A cognitive network was developed for each knowledge level with data input from the subjective questionnaires that probed the analysts’ mental model. VACOM interface was designed to allow the analysts have a transparent view of the processes, including, visualization model, and signal processing model applied to the images, geospatial data representation, and the cognitive network of expert beliefs. VACOM interface allows the user to select a satellite image of interest, select each of the image analysis methods for visualization, and compare ‘ground-truth’ information against the recommendation of VACOM. The interface was designed to enhance perception, cognition, and even comprehension to the multi and complex image analyses by the analysts. A usability analysis on VACOM showed many advantages for the human analysts. These include, reduction in cognitive workload as a result of less information search, the IA can conduct an interactive experiment on each of his/her belief space and guesses, and selection of best image processing algorithms to apply to an image context

A Scientific Visualization Approach to Effective Website Design

In this paper we offer an approach of website design based on Scientific Visualization. Websites may be conceptualized as information architectures that have been designed for a specific set of task(s). We aim to develop effective information representation through the technique of visualization in order to reduce cognitive load in performing such tasks. We approach this formalism by considering the specific task of online product purchase. We model tasks as a sequence of logical operators and discuss a way in which perceptual operators may substitute these logical operators. A replacement of logical operators with perceptual operators results in minimization of cognitive effort in information processing. Embedding these perceptual operators within the website enhances the website task performance. The important implication of this research is an alternative task oriented perspective of website design based on minimizing the cognitive effort in website tasks

The Use of Computer Visualization in the Analysis of Breathing Curves

Researchers in diverse domains use advanced computer techniques to describe complex entities and processes and impressively visualize those which are often unavailable for direct observation. However, one should emphasize that computer visualization conception implies more than just a convenient, impressive, or high rate information transfer. It also considers a problem of perception, processing, and further cultivation of such important personal qualities as intuition, professional "talent", and figurative thinking which are of value for experts in any domain. Computer visualization comprises traditionally such sophisticated techniques as computer graphics, animation and virtual reality. Traditionally, computer graphics has delivered strong instruments for creating, processing, and interacting with data representations. Interactive paradigm has led to emergence of a new scope within the problem of artificial intelligence, which is called cognitive computer graphics. The use of cognitive graphics allows physicians, analyzing modest volume of information, to draw significant conclusions. In whole, cognitive graphics forms a separate subfield in medical research. Visualization provides experts with data in current state of patients just to monitor their conditions continuously. In this article, we show the use of computer visualization to study characteristics (including network imprints) of such a common disease as bronchial asthma. The patients were grouped according to influence degree of psychological factors to the occurrence, progression and course stages of the disease. The study focuses on comparison and analysis of the patient' spirograms and demonstrate presence of physiological and psycho-physiological features among patients with diagnoses of bronchial asthma. In this respect computer visualization provides a solid platform for thorough research and deep analysis in spirometry

Cognitive Activity Support Tools: Design of the Visual Interface

This dissertation is broadly concerned with interactive computational tools that support the performance of complex cognitive activities, examples of which are analytical reasoning, decision making, problem solving, sense making, forecasting, and learning. Examples of tools that support such activities are visualization-based tools in the areas of: education, information visualization, personal information management, statistics, and health informatics. Such tools enable access to information and data and, through interaction, enable a human-information discourse. In a more specific sense, this dissertation is concerned with the design of the visual interface of these tools. This dissertation presents a large and comprehensive theoretical framework to support research and design. Issues treated herein include interaction design and patterns of interaction for cognitive and epistemic support; analysis of the essential properties of interactive visual representations and their influences on cognitive and perceptual processes; an analysis of the structural components of interaction and how different operational forms of interaction components affect the performance of cognitive activities; an examination of how the information-processing load should be distributed between humans and tools during the performance of complex cognitive activities; and a categorization of common visualizations according to their structure and function, and a discussion of the cognitive utility of each category. This dissertation also includes a chapter that describes the design of a cognitive activity support tool, as guided by the theoretical contributions that comprise the rest of the dissertation. Those that may find this dissertation useful include researchers and practitioners in the areas of data and information visualization, visual analytics, medical and health informatics, data science, journalism, educational technology, and digital games

Gestalt Principles in Data Visualization

Business information visualizations (BIV) are ubiquitous; they are embedded in Business Intelligence & Analytics\u27 dashboards and visual analysis systems as part of everyday data storytelling and decision making. They are cognitive tools that heavily rely on our understanding of users\u27 subconscious-level processing, human perception, and cognitive processes overall. Studies of human perceptual ability, such as gestalt laws (how we perceive the world) and preattentive attributes (visual properties that we notice without using conscious effort), have led to many design principles in BIV. This research focuses on the impact of information visualization (tables, graphs) design choices on users\u27 physiological responses as indicators of users\u27 cognitive processes. - Dinko Bačic

Grundlagen der Informationssuche, Informationsvisualisierung und Informationsverarbeitung für die Integration von interaktiven Visualisierungen in die Websuche

This article gives an overview of the foundations in the areas of Information Search, Information Visualization and Information Processing. They form the basis for developing the model in the previous article (Hienert 2014). The field of Information Search provides various models which describe how users search for information. Several characteristics and methods are presented which are part of the search process. A major challenge is the heterogenous information basis on the Web. The section Information Visualization describes the goals, benefits, processes, models and techniques of interactive visualizations. It can be shown that interactive visualizations are beneficial for the representation of large and complex information collections. The following section Information Processing shows how users process information. For this purpose, basic mechanisms of cognitive processing and properties are presented. Based on this, the process of cognitive processing of visualizations is described. Interactive Visualizations can expand the cognitive process in which an ongoing exchange between external and internal representation takes place. This article is a shortened and revised summary of the chapter in the dissertation of Hienert (2013)

Cognitive Consilience: Primate Non-Primary Neuroanatomical Circuits Underlying Cognition

Interactions between the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia form the basis of cognitive information processing in the mammalian brain. Understanding the principles of neuroanatomical organization in these structures is critical to understanding the functions they perform and ultimately how the human brain works. We have manually distilled and synthesized hundreds of primate neuroanatomy facts into a single interactive visualization. The resulting picture represents the fundamental neuroanatomical blueprint upon which cognitive functions must be implemented. Within this framework we hypothesize and detail 7 functional circuits corresponding to psychological perspectives on the brain: consolidated long-term declarative memory, short-term declarative memory, working memory/information processing, behavioral memory selection, behavioral memory output, cognitive control, and cortical information flow regulation. Each circuit is described in terms of distinguishable neuronal groups including the cerebral isocortex (9 pyramidal neuronal groups), parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus, thalamus (4 neuronal groups), basal ganglia (7 neuronal groups), metencephalon, basal forebrain, and other subcortical nuclei. We focus on neuroanatomy related to primate non-primary cortical systems to elucidate the basis underlying the distinct homotypical cognitive architecture. To display the breadth of this review, we introduce a novel method of integrating and presenting data in multiple independent visualizations: an interactive website (http://www.frontiersin.org/files/cognitiveconsilience/index.html) and standalone iPhone and iPad applications. With these tools we present a unique, annotated view of neuroanatomical consilience (integration of knowledge)

A Decision Support System to Ease Operator Overload in Multibeam Passive Sonar

Creating human-informative signal processing systems for the underwater acoustic environment that do not generate operator cognitive saturation and overload is a major challenge. To alleviate cognitive operator overload, we present a visual analytics methodology in which multiple beam-formed sonar returns are mapped to an optimized 2-D visual representation, which preserves the relevant data structure. This representation alerts the operator as to which beams are likely to contain anomalous information by modeling a latent distribution of information for each beam. Sonar operators therefore focus their attention only on the surprising events. In addition to the principled visualization of high-dimensional uncertain data, the system quantifies anomalous information using a Fisher Information measure. Central to this process is the novel use of both signal and noise observation modeling to characterize the sensor information. A demonstration of detecting exceptionally low signal-to-noise ratio targets embedded in real-world 33-beam passive sonar data is presented