Modeling Complex High Level Interactions in the Process of Visual Mining

Visual Mining refers to the human analytical process that uses visual representations of raw data and makes suitable inferences. During this analytical process, users are engaged in complex cognitive activities such as decision making, problem solving, analytical reasoning and learning. Now a days, users typically use interactive visualization tools, which we call as visual mining support tools (VMSTs), to mediate their interactions with the information present in visual representations of raw data and also to support their complex cognitive activities when performing visual mining. VMSTs have two main components: visual representation and interaction. Even though, these two components are fundamental aspects of VMSTs, the research on visual representation has received the most attention. It is still unclear how to design interactions which can properly support users in performing complex cognitive activities during the visual mining process. Although some fundamental concepts and techniques regarding interaction design have been in place for a while, many established researchers are of the opinion that we do not yet have a generalized, principled, and systematic understanding of interaction components of these VMSTs, and how interactions should be analyzed, designed, and integrated to support complex cognitive activities. Many researchers have recommended that one way to address this problem is through appropriate characterization of interactions in the visual mining process. Models that provide classifications of interactions have indeed been proposed in the visualization research community. While these models are important contributions for the visualization research community, they often characterize interactions at lower levels of human information interaction and high level interactions are not well addressed. In addition, some of these models are not designed to model user activity; rather they are most applicable for representing a system’s response to user activity and not the user activity itself. In this thesis, we address this problem through characterization of the interaction space of visual mining at the appropriate level. Our main contribution in this research is the discovery of a small set of classification criteria which can comprehensively characterize the interaction space of visual mining involving interactions with VMSTs for performing complex cognitive activities. These complex cognitive activities are modeled through visual mining episodes, a coherent set of activities consisting of visual mining strategies (VMSs). Using the classification criteria, VMSs are simply described as combinations of different values of these criteria. By considering all combinations, we can comprehensively cover the interaction space of visual mining. Our VMS interaction space model is unique in identifying the activity tier, a granularity of interactions (high level) which supports performance of complex cognitive activities through interactions with visual information using VMSTs. As further demonstration of the utility of this VMS interaction space model, we describe the formulation of an inspection framework which can provide quantitative measures for the support provided by VMSTs for complex cognitive activities in visual mining. This inspection framework, which has enabled us to produce a new simpler evaluation method for VMSTs in comparison to existing evaluation methods, is based soundly on existing theories and models. Both the VMS interaction space model and the inspection framework present many interesting avenues for further research

Uso y cobertura del suelo en las islas macaronésicas de Portugal y España: nuevos métodos para cuantificar y visualizar información de patrones espaciales

Tesis de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Departamento de Geografía Humana, leída el 23/11/2016The aim of this research is to propose novel methods for quantifying and visualizing geographical information, in order to aid the spatial planning decision-making process when addressing land use and land cover patterns. In doing so, several modeling and geographic visualization methods are developed and demonstrated by using the Macaronesian islands of Portugal and Spain as study areas. Macaronesia is a biogeographical region consisting of several archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde. This research encompasses three archipelagos: the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. From these three archipelagos, the four most densely populated islands were further selected for the land use and land cover assessments: São Miguel, Madeira, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria. A common feature of the Macaronesian islands is that, ever since European colonization in the fifteenth century, up until the mid-twentieth century, anthropogenic land change was predominately attributable to agricultural activities consuming forests and natural areas. In the mid-twentieth century, owing to profound social and economic changes, the tertiary sector started its rise in becoming the main economic sector. Because the secondary sector in this region has always been minor, this substantial shift to the tertiary sector would dictate a progressive abandonment of the primary sector. Hence, agricultural areas started to recede. As a result, the last decades of the twentieth century were marked by a significant shift in land use dynamics. Agricultural activities ceased to be the main driving force of land change and were replaced by a rampant increase of the artificial surfaces, mainly on the southern coastal areas, where tourism-related and real estate pressure constitute a major impact on the landscape. A direct consequence of this pressure was the drastic transformation across the islands’ leeward coastal landscapes...El objetivo principal de esta investigación es proponer nuevos métodos para cuantificar y visualizar información geográfica, con el fin de facilitar el proceso de toma de decisiones en relación a los patrones de uso y ocupación del suelo. De este modo, se desarrollan y aplican varios métodos de modelación y visualización geográfica, utilizando las islas macaronésicas de Portugal y España como áreas de estudio. La Macaronesia es una región biogeográfica que integra varios archipiélagos en el Océano Atlántico pertenecientes a tres países: Portugal, España y Cabo Verde. Esta investigación abarca tres archipiélagos: Azores, Madeira y Canarias. Para una evaluación detallada de uso y cobertura del suelo se seleccionaron las cuatro islas más densamente pobladas: San Miguel, Madeira, Tenerife y Gran Canaria. Una característica común a las islas macaronésicas es que, desde de la colonización en el siglo XV hasta mediados del siglo XX, el cambio antropogénico del suelo se debió principalmente a las actividades agrícolas, que ocuparon bosques y áreas naturales. A mediados del siglo XX, debido a profundos cambios sociales y económicos, el sector terciario empezó su ascenso para convertirse en el principal sector económico. Debido a que el sector secundario en esta región siempre ha tenido una importancia menor, este proceso de terciarización de la economía supuso un progresivo abandono del sector primario. Por lo tanto, las áreas agrícolas comenzaron a experimentar un claro retroceso. Como resultado de este proceso, las últimas décadas del siglo XX se caracterizaron por un cambio significativo en las dinámicas de uso y cobertura del suelo. Las actividades agrícolas dejaron de ser la principal fuerza impulsora en el cambio de lo suelo y fueron reemplazadas por el aumento desenfrenado de las superficies artificiales, principalmente en las zonas costeras del sur, donde el turismo y la especulación inmobiliaria ejercen una gran presión sobre el paisaje. Consecuencia directa de esta presión fueron las drásticas transformaciones de los paisajes costeros de las islas...Esta investigação tem como principal objectivo propor novos métodos para quantificar e visualizar informação geográfica, de modo a auxiliar o processo de tomada de decisão quando seja necessário analisar padrões de uso e ocupação do solo. Ao longo da investigação são apresentados vários métodos de modelação e visualização geográfica, usando como área de estudo as ilhas da Macaronésia pertencentes a Portugal e Espanha. A Macaronésia é uma região biogeográfica no Oceano Atlântico constituída por vários arquipélagos pertencentes a três países: Portugal, Espanha e Cabo Verde. Este trabalho de investigação abrange três arquipélagos: os Açores, a Madeira e as Ilhas Canárias. Para uma avaliação mais detalhada quanto ao uso e ocupação do solo, foram seleccionadas as quatro ilhas mais densamente povoadas: São Miguel, Madeira, Gran Canaria e Tenerife. Uma característica comum às ilhas da Macaronésia reside na particularidade de, desde a sua colonização no século XV, até meados do século XX, as alterações antropogénicas do solo terem estado predominantemente associadas às actividades agrícolas que consumiram extensas áreas de floresta e espaços naturais. Em meados do século XX, devido a profundas alterações sociais e económicas, o sector terciário iniciou a sua ascensão para se tornar o principal sector económico. Uma vez que, nesta região, o sector secundário foi sempre pouco significativo, a terciarização da actividade económica ditou um progressivo abandono do sector primário. Deste modo, as áreas agrícolas começaram a recuar. Como resultado deste processo, as últimas décadas do século XX foram marcadas por uma mudança significativa na dinâmica de uso e ocupação do solo nas ilhas desta região. As actividades agrícolas deixaram de ser a principal força motriz para as alterações no uso do solo, sendo substituídas pelo aumento galopante das superfícies artificiais, principalmente nas áreas costeiras do sul, onde as actividades relacionadas com o turismo e a especulação imobiliária causaram um grande impacto na paisagem, e contribuiram para a transformação drástica do litoral sotavento das ilhas...Depto. de GeografíaFac. de Geografía e HistoriaTRUEunpu