Pretty maps: evaluating GIS adoption of cartographic design standards and best practices in professional publications

The nature of GIS maps, as tools designed for visual communication, puts them in the realm of art that is in many ways unique among scientific tools. As a visual form of communication, maps are responsive to methods of visual design, affecting the map’s appeal and function. Through cartography, a well established body of standards and best-practices exists to help GIS users avoid common design errors and create effective and meaningful maps that support their work. This research examines the adoption rate of those standards amongst professionals using GIS software for creating maps for journal publications. A selection of 80 GIS-produced maps from the AAG’s Professional Geographer were examined and compared to a uniform set of cartographic standards to look for trends in the adoption rates of map design standards amongst GIS map makers. Maps were rated by the author on their use of cartographic standards based on map content and purpose as opposed to their aesthetic quality. The data show trends in GIS cartographic design use that closely follow the inclusion of default values in common GIS software. The implication is that GIS professionals making maps are typically not applying cartographic standards on their own, but mostly following the standards set up in their software of choice. This suggests that there is still significant work to be done in teaching the value of cartographic principles to GIS students and practitioners

Visual literacy and the integration of parametric modeling in the problem-based curriculum

This quasi-experimental study investigated the application of visual literacy skills in the form of parametric modeling software in relation to traditional forms of sketching. The study included two groups of high school technical design students. The control and experimental groups involved in the study consisted of two randomly selected groups of students. The participants were exposed to eight weeks of technical drawing and parametric modeling instruction prior to the start of the study. The potential applications of emerging technologies for the purpose of integrating visual literacy into the curriculum are not fully understood. Society is moving towards a more immediate form of communication (Galante, 2011). Visual forms of communication are becoming more prevalent methods for sending and receiving information. Research suggests that visual literacy skills have a correlation to the ability to problem solve, which ultimately can be beneficial to student learning (Matusitz, 2005). The application of visual literacy skills through the use of parametric modeling software may provide students with better learning experiences in visualization, conceptualization, and communication of images that will allow them to become better problem-solvers. Through this study, the researcher focused on the relationships between the independent and dependent variables in order to perform a statistical analysis of the data. The participants of the study were presented with a pre-test, a treatment, and a post-test relating to visual literacy. The treatment was presented to the participants in the form of a technical design problem that required the participants to apply problem-solving skills in order to devise a solution through the use of either traditional forms of sketching or through the use of parametric modeling. Data were collected and recorded in order to assess the outcome and effects of the variable. Although the research suggests that there is a correlation between visual literacy skills and the ability to solve problems, this particular study failed to show this correlation. Struggling learners showed no improvement in visualization skills after using parametric modeling software. The two methods used to create the technical design problem showed no statistical significance between the success of the design and the method that was used to create the design. No statistical differences were found between the visualization skills of any of the participants regardless of the methods used in the study. In addition, gender seemed not to be a significant factor in the study when comparing the visualization skills of the participants. There are recommendations, based on the results of this study, for future investigation in this area. Increasing the duration of the study over the course of a school term, could produce different results that were difficult to determine by the limited time constraints of this particular study. Other testing methods could be investigated for future studies that could produce additional information that was not produced in this study. Limiting the prior knowledge of the participants could also produce different results in the outcome of visualization skills. Investigating specific demographics that were not included in this study would also be of interest to be the academic community

Uncharted Territory: UVM Extension Data Visualization Needs Assessment

Graphical displays are more effective than textual information at summarizing large volumes of data, improving retention of information, and in persuading behavior change. UVM Extension uses data visualizations every day in its mission to transform academic research into practical recommendations for Vermonters, in topics ranging from nutrition to agriculture. But how are these graphics generated across an organization with more than 100 employees? How can data visualization help advance goals which range from analyzing research to demonstrating community impact? This paper presents the results of a Master’s project study into what tools and skills are already being used at UVM Extension, and what could be done better. For this study, data were collected through an organization-wide survey, two interviews, and two case studies. Results suggest that numerous software packages are being utilized across the organization to design graphics, but they are not administered consistently or leveraged efficiently. In general, staff and faculty lack confidence in designing their own graphics, are unfamiliar with best practices, and are unsure where to go for help. Ultimately, this study reveals that UVM Extension could: 1) save costs by consolidating software accounts, and 2) improve quality by increasing staff capacity, establishing internal workflow protocols, and centralizing high-priority projects. By incorporating graphic design staff into the first steps of project planning, UVM Extension would ultimately elevate the quality of its storytelling

Online Circular Calendar

A calendar is a system to organize days for social, commercial or administrative purpose. Many calendar systems are available today. The calendar system helps the user in scheduling his/her events or tasks over a time period. This period may be an hour, a day, or even months. Due to increase in user’s activities, events that need to be scheduled in the calendar grow tremendously. Moreover, there are events that occur every year which require a good visualization for mental manipulation. As a result there is a difficulty in organizing these events in the current calendar system. The main idea of this project is to provide a calendar system in which users can organize the events easily, and to close the gap between the actual software and the mental model of the users. None of the current calendar systems have the ability to manipulate and plot graphs throughout the year. The data is user dependent and can be of any sort like temperature, rainfall, stock analysis etc., Apart from this; good visualization techniques can be used for the calendar system to make the events apparent to the users. By this way user can view the overall picture of the events and will have clear idea about their events. This paper describes the implementation of such a calendar system with good visualization

Interpretations of Data in Ethical vs. Unethical Data Visualizations

abstract: This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of deceptive data visualizations paired with explanatory text. Data visualizations are used to communicate information about important social issues to large audiences and are found in the news, social media, and the Internet (Kirk, 2012). Modern technology and software allow people and organizations to easily produce and publish data visualizations, contributing to data visualizations becoming more prevalent as a means of communicating important information (Sue & Griffin, 2016). Ethical transgressions in data visualizations are the intentional or unintentional use of deceptive techniques with the potential of altering the audience’s understanding of the information being presented (Pandey et al., 2015). While many have discussed the importance of ethics in data visualization, scientists have only recently started to look at how deceptive data visualizations affect the reader. This study was administered as an on-line user survey and was designed to test the deceptive potential of data visualizations when they are accompanied by a paragraph of text. The study consisted of a demographic questionnaire, chart familiarity assessment, and data visualization survey. A total of 256 participants completed the survey and were evenly distributed between a control (non-deceptive) survey or a test (deceptive) survey in which participant were asked to observe a paragraph of text and data visualization paired together. Participants then answered a question relevant to the observed information to measure how they perceived the information to be. The individual differences between demographic groups and their responses were analyzed to understand how these groups reacted to deceptive data visualizations compared to the control group. The results of the study confirmed that deceptive techniques in data visualizations caused participants to misinterpret the information in the deceptive data visualizations even when they were accompanied by a paragraph of explanatory text. Furthermore, certain demographics and comfort levels with chart types were more susceptible to certain types of deceptive techniques. These results highlight the importance of education and practice in the area of data visualizations to ensure deceptive practices are not utilized and to avoid potential misinformation, especially when information can be called into question.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Technical Communication 201

User-centered visual analysis using a hybrid reasoning architecture for intensive care units

One problem pertaining to Intensive Care Unit information systems is that, in some cases, a very dense display of data can result. To ensure the overview and readability of the increasing volumes of data, some special features are required (e.g., data prioritization, clustering, and selection mechanisms) with the application of analytical methods (e.g., temporal data abstraction, principal component analysis, and detection of events). This paper addresses the problem of improving the integration of the visual and analytical methods applied to medical monitoring systems. We present a knowledge- and machine learning-based approach to support the knowledge discovery process with appropriate analytical and visual methods. Its potential benefit to the development of user interfaces for intelligent monitors that can assist with the detection and explanation of new, potentially threatening medical events. The proposed hybrid reasoning architecture provides an interactive graphical user interface to adjust the parameters of the analytical methods based on the users' task at hand. The action sequences performed on the graphical user interface by the user are consolidated in a dynamic knowledge base with specific hybrid reasoning that integrates symbolic and connectionist approaches. These sequences of expert knowledge acquisition can be very efficient for making easier knowledge emergence during a similar experience and positively impact the monitoring of critical situations. The provided graphical user interface incorporating a user-centered visual analysis is exploited to facilitate the natural and effective representation of clinical information for patient care

Principles of protein structure: An established Internet‐based course in structural biology

The Department of Crystallography at Birkbeck College, London, UK, has been running a one‐year, part‐time accredited graduate course, ‘Principles of Protein Structure’, entirely over the Internet since 1996. Students on this course learn the basic principles of the increasingly important subject of structural biology using software programs such as Rasmol and Chime to visualize and manipulate molecular structures in three dimensions. They interact with their tutors, based at Birkbeck, using email and text‐based teleconferencing, and can test their knowledge with multiple choice quizzes on the Web. Over 200 students from thirty countries registered for this course in the last four years. Forty, from central and eastern Europe, were supported by bursaries from the Open Society Institute. The course has been well received by students and its success led us to introduce a similar course in protein crystallography

Following the Evidence: Approaches to Assessment in Academic Libraries

In an environment of strained budgets and heightened accountability, academic libraries need to base their planning, decision-making, and advocacy on evidence more than ever before. Fortunately, the resources required to collect, analyze, and visualize data—thus turning it into evidence—are increasingly accessible. This session will challenge participants to grow in their handling of evidence by exposing them to a range of data sources and analysis tools. In order to accomplish this goal, the presenter will share brief sketches of a number of recent library assessment efforts, focusing on projects with which he has been involved personally. The session’s brevity will preclude showing participants the mechanics of any specific kind of assessment. Therefore, the presenter’s primary aim will be to impart a vision for using evidence to increase efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction. A secondary aim will be to refer participants to a variety of resources for further exploration: tools, books, journal literature, conferences, and more

Donald P. Brutzman: a biography

Design and implement large-scale networked underwater virtual worlds using Web-accessible 3D graphics and network streams. Integrate sensors, models and datasets for real-time interactive use by scientists, underwater robots, ships and students of all ages