2 research outputs found
A Survey on ML4VIS: Applying Machine Learning Advances to Data Visualization
Inspired by the great success of machine learning (ML), researchers have
applied ML techniques to visualizations to achieve a better design,
development, and evaluation of visualizations. This branch of studies, known as
ML4VIS, is gaining increasing research attention in recent years. To
successfully adapt ML techniques for visualizations, a structured understanding
of the integration of ML4VISis needed. In this paper, we systematically survey
88 ML4VIS studies, aiming to answer two motivating questions: "what
visualization processes can be assisted by ML?" and "how ML techniques can be
used to solve visualization problems?" This survey reveals seven main processes
where the employment of ML techniques can benefit visualizations:Data
Processing4VIS, Data-VIS Mapping, InsightCommunication, Style Imitation, VIS
Interaction, VIS Reading, and User Profiling. The seven processes are related
to existing visualization theoretical models in an ML4VIS pipeline, aiming to
illuminate the role of ML-assisted visualization in general
visualizations.Meanwhile, the seven processes are mapped into main learning
tasks in ML to align the capabilities of ML with the needs in visualization.
Current practices and future opportunities of ML4VIS are discussed in the
context of the ML4VIS pipeline and the ML-VIS mapping. While more studies are
still needed in the area of ML4VIS, we hope this paper can provide a
stepping-stone for future exploration. A web-based interactive browser of this
survey is available at https://ml4vis.github.ioComment: 19 pages, 12 figures, 4 table