Rethinking ‘Advanced Search’: A New Approach to Complex Query Formulation

Knowledge workers such as patent agents, recruiters and media monitoring professionals undertake work tasks where search forms a core part of their duties. In these instances, the search task often involves the formulation of complex queries expressed as Boolean strings. However, creating effective Boolean queries remains an ongoing challenge, often compromised by errors and inefficiencies. In this demo paper, we present a new approach to query formulation in which concepts are expressed on a two-dimensional canvas and relationships are articulated using direct manipulation. This has the potential to eliminate many sources of error, makes the query semantics more transparent, and offers new opportunities for query refinement and optimisatio

Designing the Structured Search Experience: Rethinking the Query-Builder Paradigm

Knowledge workers such as healthcare information professionals, legal researchers, and librarians need to create and execute search strategies that are comprehensive, transparent, and reproducible. The traditional solution is to use command-line query builders offered by proprietary database vendors. However, these are based on a paradigm that dates from the days when users could access databases only via text-based terminals and command-line syntax. In this paper, we present a new approach in which users express concepts as objects on a visual canvas and manipulate them to articulate relationships. This offers a more intuitive user experience (UX) that eliminates many sources of error, makes the query semantics more transparent, and offers new ways to collaborate, share, and optimize search strategies and best practice

Formal usability evaluation of audio track widget graphical representation for two-dimensional stage audio mixing interface

The two-dimensional stage paradigm (2DSP) has been suggested as an alternative audio mixing interface (AMI). This study seeks to refine the 2DSP by formally evaluating graphical track visualisation styles. Track visualisations considered were text only, circles containing text, individually coloured circles containing text, circles colour coded by instrument type with text, icons with text superimposed, circles with RMS related dynamic opacity and a traditional AMI. The usability evaluation focused on track selection efficiency and included user visualisation preference for this micro-task. Test subjects were instructed to click five randomly selected tracks for a six, sixteen and thirty-two track mix for each visualisation. The results indicate text only visualisation is best for efficiency however test subjects preferred icons and traditional AMI

“AccessBIM” - A Model of Environmental Characteristics for Vision Impaired Indoor Navigation and Way Finding

The complexity of modern indoor environments has made navigation difficult for individuals with vision impairment. Hence, this thesis presents the AccessBIM framework, which is an optimized database that’s facilitates generation of a real-time floor plan with path determination. The AccessBIM framework has the potential to play an integral role in improving the independence and quality of life for people with vision impairment whilst also decreasing the cost to the community related to caretakers

Management of visual clutter in annotated 3D CAD models: A comparative study

The use of annotations in CAD models has been an active area of research because of their ability to connect design information to specific aspects of the model s geometry. The effectiveness of annotations is determined by the ability to clearly communicate information. However, annotations can quickly create clutter and confusion as they increase both in number and complexity. Consequently, efficient interaction and visualization mechanisms become crucial. Despite recent standardizations of procedures for the presentation of textual information in CAD models, no explicit guidelines are available as to how to make annotated models more readable and manageable. In this paper, we present the results of a comparative study of different mechanisms to manage visual clutter in annotated 3D CAD models and offer recommendations based on our findings. Our results show that even basic interaction mechanisms have a substantial impact on user s performanceCamba, J.; Contero, M.; Johnson, M. 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ASME, New York (2012)Dorribo-Camba, J., Alducin-Quintero, G., Perona, P., Contero, M.: Enhancing Model Reuse through 3D Annotations: A Theoretical Proposal for an Annotation-Centered Design Intent and Design Rationale Communication. In: ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition. ASME, New York (2013)Ding, L., Davies, D., McMahon, C.: Sharing Information throughout a Product Lifecycle via Markup of Product Models. In: ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, pp. 1267–1275. ASME, New York (2008)Ding, L., Ball, A., Patel, M., Matthews, J., Mullineux, G.: Strategies for the Collaborative Use of CAD Product Models. In: Proceedings of ICED 2009, 17th International Conference on Engineering Design, vol. 8, pp. 123–134 (2009)Ding, L., Davies, D., McMahon, C.A.: The Integration of Lightweight Representation and Annotation for Collaborative Design Representation. 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Ortsbezogene Anwendungen und Dienste: 9. Fachgespräch der GI/ITG-Fachgruppe Kommunikation und Verteilte Systeme ; 13. & 14. September 2012

Der Aufenthaltsort eines mobilen Benutzers stellt eine wichtige Information für Anwendungen aus den Bereichen Mobile Computing, Wearable Computing oder Ubiquitous Computing dar. Ist ein mobiles Endgerät in der Lage, die aktuelle Position des Benutzers zu bestimmen, kann diese Information von der Anwendung berücksichtigt werden -- man spricht dabei allgemein von ortsbezogenen Anwendungen. Eng verknüpft mit dem Begriff der ortsbezogenen Anwendung ist der Begriff des ortsbezogenen Dienstes. Hierbei handelt es sich beispielsweise um einen Dienst, der Informationen über den aktuellen Standort übermittelt. Mittlerweile werden solche Dienste kommerziell eingesetzt und erlauben etwa, dass ein Reisender ein Hotel, eine Tankstelle oder eine Apotheke in der näheren Umgebung findet. Man erwartet, nicht zuletzt durch die Einführung von LTE, ein großes Potenzial ortsbezogener Anwendungen für die Zukunft. Das jährlich stattfindende Fachgespräch "Ortsbezogene Anwendungen und Dienste" der GI/ITG-Fachgruppe Kommunikation und Verteilte Systeme hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, aktuelle Entwicklungen dieses Fachgebiets in einem breiten Teilnehmerkreis aus Industrie und Wissenschaft zu diskutieren. Der vorliegende Konferenzband fasst die Ergebnisse des neunten Fachgesprächs zusammen.The location of a mobile user poses an important information for applications in the scope of Mobile Computung, Wearable Computing and Ubiquitous Computing. If a mobile device is able to determine the current location of its user, this information may be taken into account by an application. Such applications are called a location-based applications. Closely related to location-based applications are location-based services, which for example provides the user informations about his current location. Meanwhile such services are deployed commercially and enable travelers for example to find a hotel, a petrol station or a pharmacy in his vicinity. It is expected, not least because of the introduction of LTE, a great potential of locations-based applications in the future. The annual technical meeting "Location-based Applications and Services" of the GI/ITG specialized group "Communication and Dsitributed Systems" targets to discuss current evolutions in a broad group of participants assembling of industrial representatives and scientists. The present proceedings summarizes the result of the 9th annual meeting

Image Retrieval within Augmented Reality

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht das Potenzial von Augmented Reality zur Verbesserung von Image Retrieval Prozessen. Herausforderungen in Design und Gebrauchstauglichkeit wurden für beide Forschungsbereiche dargelegt und genutzt, um Designziele für Konzepte zu entwerfen. Eine Taxonomie für Image Retrieval in Augmented Reality wurde basierend auf der Forschungsarbeit entworfen und eingesetzt, um verwandte Arbeiten und generelle Ideen für Interaktionsmöglichkeiten zu strukturieren. Basierend auf der Taxonomie wurden Anwendungsszenarien als weitere Anforderungen für Konzepte formuliert. Mit Hilfe der generellen Ideen und Anforderungen wurden zwei umfassende Konzepte für Image Retrieval in Augmented Reality ausgearbeitet. Eins der Konzepte wurde auf einer Microsoft HoloLens umgesetzt und in einer Nutzerstudie evaluiert. Die Studie zeigt, dass das Konzept grundsätzlich positiv aufgenommen wurde und bietet Erkenntnisse über unterschiedliches Verhalten im Raum und verschiedene Suchstrategien bei der Durchführung von Image Retrieval in der erweiterten Realität.:1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation and Problem Statement 1.1.1 Augmented Reality and Head-Mounted Displays 1.1.2 Image Retrieval 1.1.3 Image Retrieval within Augmented Reality 1.2 Thesis Structure 2 Foundations of Image Retrieval and Augmented Reality 2.1 Foundations of Image Retrieval 2.1.1 Definition of Image Retrieval 2.1.2 Classification of Image Retrieval Systems 2.1.3 Design and Usability in Image Retrieval 2.2 Foundations of Augmented Reality 2.2.1 Definition of Augmented Reality 2.2.2 Augmented Reality Design and Usability 2.3 Taxonomy for Image Retrieval within Augmented Reality 2.3.1 Session Parameters 2.3.2 Interaction Process 2.3.3 Summary of the Taxonomy 3 Concepts for Image Retrieval within Augmented Reality 3.1 Related Work 3.1.1 Natural Query Specification 3.1.2 Situated Result Visualization 3.1.3 3D Result Interaction 3.1.4 Summary of Related Work 3.2 Basic Interaction Concepts for Image Retrieval in Augmented Reality 3.2.1 Natural Query Specification 3.2.2 Situated Result Visualization 3.2.3 3D Result Interaction 3.3 Requirements for Comprehensive Concepts 3.3.1 Design Goals 3.3.2 Application Scenarios 3.4 Comprehensive Concepts 3.4.1 Tangible Query Workbench 3.4.2 Situated Photograph Queries 3.4.3 Conformance of Concept Requirements 4 Prototypic Implementation of Situated Photograph Queries 4.1 Implementation Design 4.1.1 Implementation Process 4.1.2 Structure of the Implementation 4.2 Developer and User Manual 4.2.1 Setup of the Prototype 4.2.2 Usage of the Prototype 4.3 Discussion of the Prototype 5 Evaluation of Prototype and Concept by User Study 5.1 Design of the User Study 5.1.1 Usability Testing 5.1.2 Questionnaire 5.2 Results 5.2.1 Logging of User Behavior 5.2.2 Rating through Likert Scales 5.2.3 Free Text Answers and Remarks during the Study 5.2.4 Observations during the Study 5.2.5 Discussion of Results 6 Conclusion 6.1 Summary of the Present Work 6.2 Outlook on Further WorkThe present work investigates the potential of augmented reality for improving the image retrieval process. Design and usability challenges were identified for both fields of research in order to formulate design goals for the development of concepts. A taxonomy for image retrieval within augmented reality was elaborated based on research work and used to structure related work and basic ideas for interaction. Based on the taxonomy, application scenarios were formulated as further requirements for concepts. Using the basic interaction ideas and the requirements, two comprehensive concepts for image retrieval within augmented reality were elaborated. One of the concepts was implemented using a Microsoft HoloLens and evaluated in a user study. The study showed that the concept was rated generally positive by the users and provided insight in different spatial behavior and search strategies when practicing image retrieval in augmented reality.:1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation and Problem Statement 1.1.1 Augmented Reality and Head-Mounted Displays 1.1.2 Image Retrieval 1.1.3 Image Retrieval within Augmented Reality 1.2 Thesis Structure 2 Foundations of Image Retrieval and Augmented Reality 2.1 Foundations of Image Retrieval 2.1.1 Definition of Image Retrieval 2.1.2 Classification of Image Retrieval Systems 2.1.3 Design and Usability in Image Retrieval 2.2 Foundations of Augmented Reality 2.2.1 Definition of Augmented Reality 2.2.2 Augmented Reality Design and Usability 2.3 Taxonomy for Image Retrieval within Augmented Reality 2.3.1 Session Parameters 2.3.2 Interaction Process 2.3.3 Summary of the Taxonomy 3 Concepts for Image Retrieval within Augmented Reality 3.1 Related Work 3.1.1 Natural Query Specification 3.1.2 Situated Result Visualization 3.1.3 3D Result Interaction 3.1.4 Summary of Related Work 3.2 Basic Interaction Concepts for Image Retrieval in Augmented Reality 3.2.1 Natural Query Specification 3.2.2 Situated Result Visualization 3.2.3 3D Result Interaction 3.3 Requirements for Comprehensive Concepts 3.3.1 Design Goals 3.3.2 Application Scenarios 3.4 Comprehensive Concepts 3.4.1 Tangible Query Workbench 3.4.2 Situated Photograph Queries 3.4.3 Conformance of Concept Requirements 4 Prototypic Implementation of Situated Photograph Queries 4.1 Implementation Design 4.1.1 Implementation Process 4.1.2 Structure of the Implementation 4.2 Developer and User Manual 4.2.1 Setup of the Prototype 4.2.2 Usage of the Prototype 4.3 Discussion of the Prototype 5 Evaluation of Prototype and Concept by User Study 5.1 Design of the User Study 5.1.1 Usability Testing 5.1.2 Questionnaire 5.2 Results 5.2.1 Logging of User Behavior 5.2.2 Rating through Likert Scales 5.2.3 Free Text Answers and Remarks during the Study 5.2.4 Observations during the Study 5.2.5 Discussion of Results 6 Conclusion 6.1 Summary of the Present Work 6.2 Outlook on Further Wor

Trustworthiness in Mobile Cyber Physical Systems

Computing and communication capabilities are increasingly embedded in diverse objects and structures in the physical environment. They will link the ‘cyberworld’ of computing and communications with the physical world. These applications are called cyber physical systems (CPS). Obviously, the increased involvement of real-world entities leads to a greater demand for trustworthy systems. Hence, we use "system trustworthiness" here, which can guarantee continuous service in the presence of internal errors or external attacks. Mobile CPS (MCPS) is a prominent subcategory of CPS in which the physical component has no permanent location. Mobile Internet devices already provide ubiquitous platforms for building novel MCPS applications. The objective of this Special Issue is to contribute to research in modern/future trustworthy MCPS, including design, modeling, simulation, dependability, and so on. It is imperative to address the issues which are critical to their mobility, report significant advances in the underlying science, and discuss the challenges of development and implementation in various applications of MCPS

End-User Visualization and Manipulation of Distributed Aggregate Data

Aggregate visualization and manipulation enables the viewing and interaction of dynamically changing data sets in a graphically meaningful way. However, off-the-shelf applications typically provide only limited ways to view static aggregates and generally do not support manipulation of aggregate data through the resulting visualization. To be fully dynamic, an aggregate visualization should be customizable to suit the individual's needs and should allow end-users to modify the data through direct manipulation. This paper describes a software system that empowers end-users to create interactive aggregate visualizations through a visual language interface. Included are mechanisms for specifying how aggregate data is processed from multiple sources of a distributed application, providing functionality similar to project, select, join, and cross product of relational databases. This approach gives end-users the power to create customized, interactive visualizations of dynamically changing ..