A review of data visualization: opportunities in manufacturing sequence management.

Data visualization now benefits from developments in technologies that offer innovative ways of presenting complex data. Potentially these have widespread application in communicating the complex information domains typical of manufacturing sequence management environments for global enterprises. In this paper the authors review the visualization functionalities, techniques and applications reported in literature, map these to manufacturing sequence information presentation requirements and identify the opportunities available and likely development paths. Current leading-edge practice in dynamic updating and communication with suppliers is not being exploited in manufacturing sequence management; it could provide significant benefits to manufacturing business. In the context of global manufacturing operations and broad-based user communities with differing needs served by common data sets, tool functionality is generally ahead of user application

A study of spatial data models and their application to selecting information from pictorial databases

People have always used visual techniques to locate information in the space surrounding them. However with the advent of powerful computer systems and user-friendly interfaces it has become possible to extend such techniques to stored pictorial information. Pictorial database systems have in the past primarily used mathematical or textual search techniques to locate specific pictures contained within such databases. However these techniques have largely relied upon complex combinations of numeric and textual queries in order to find the required pictures. Such techniques restrict users of pictorial databases to expressing what is in essence a visual query in a numeric or character based form. What is required is the ability to express such queries in a form that more closely matches the user's visual memory or perception of the picture required. It is suggested in this thesis that spatial techniques of search are important and that two of the most important attributes of a picture are the spatial positions and the spatial relationships of objects contained within such pictures. It is further suggested that a database management system which allows users to indicate the nature of their query by visually placing iconic representations of objects on an interface in spatially appropriate positions, is a feasible method by which pictures might be found from a pictorial database. This thesis undertakes a detailed study of spatial techniques using a combination of historical evidence, psychological conclusions and practical examples to demonstrate that the spatial metaphor is an important concept and that pictures can be readily found by visually specifying the spatial positions and relationships between objects contained within them

Qualitative Spatial Configuration Queries Towards Next Generation Access Methods for GIS

For a long time survey, management, and provision of geographic information in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have mainly had an authoritative nature. Today the trend is changing and such an authoritative geographic information source is now accompanied by a public and freely available one which is usually referred to as Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). Actually, the term VGI does not refer only to the mere geographic information, but, more generally, to the whole process which assumes the engagement of volunteers to collect and maintain such information in freely accessible GIS. The quick spread of VGI gives new relevance to a well-known challenge: developing new methods and techniques to ease down the interaction between users and GIS. Indeed, in spite of continuous improvements, GIS mainly provide interfaces tailored for experts, denying the casual user usually a non-expert the possibility to access VGI information. One main obstacle resides in the different ways GIS and humans deal with spatial information: GIS mainly encode spatial information in a quantitative format, whereas human beings typically prefer a qualitative and relational approach. For example, we use expressions like the lake is to the right-hand side of the wood or is there a supermarket close to the university? which qualitatively locate a spatial entity with respect to another. Nowadays, such a gap in representation has to be plugged by the user, who has to learn about the system structure and to encode his requests in a form suitable to the system. Contrarily, enabling gis to explicitly deal with qualitative spatial information allows for shifting the translation effort to the system side. Thus, to facilitate the interaction with human beings, GIS have to be enhanced with tools for efficiently handling qualitative spatial information. The work presented in this thesis addresses the problem of enabling Qualitative Spatial Configuration Queries (QSCQs) in GIS. A QSCQ is a spatial database query which allows for an automatic mapping of spatial descriptions produced by humans: A user naturally expresses his request of spatial information by drawing a sketch map or producing a verbal description. The qualitative information conveyed by such descriptions is automatically extracted and encoded into a QSCQ. The focus of this work is on two main challenges: First, the development of a framework that allows for managing in a spatial database the variety of spatial aspects that might be enclosed in a spatial description produced by a human. Second, the conception of Qualitative Spatial Access Methods (QSAMs): algorithms and data structures tailored for efficiently solving QSCQs. The main objective of a QSAM is that of countering the exponential explosion in terms of storage space occurring when switching from a quantitative to a qualitative spatial representation while keeping query response time acceptable

Performance comparison of point and spatial access methods

In the past few years a large number of multidimensional point access methods, also called multiattribute index structures, has been suggested, all of them claiming good performance. Since no performance comparison of these structures under arbitrary (strongly correlated nonuniform, short "ugly") data distributions and under various types of queries has been performed, database researchers and designers were hesitant to use any of these new point access methods. As shown in a recent paper, such point access methods are not only important in traditional database applications. In new applications such as CAD/CIM and geographic or environmental information systems, access methods for spatial objects are needed. As recently shown such access methods are based on point access methods in terms of functionality and performance. Our performance comparison naturally consists of two parts. In part I we w i l l compare multidimensional point access methods, whereas in part I I spatial access methods for rectangles will be compared. In part I we present a survey and classification of existing point access methods. Then we carefully select the following four methods for implementation and performance comparison under seven different data files (distributions) and various types of queries: the 2-level grid file, the BANG file, the hB-tree and a new scheme, called the BUDDY hash tree. We were surprised to see one method to be the clear winner which was the BUDDY hash tree. It exhibits an at least 20 % better average performance than its competitors and is robust under ugly data and queries. In part I I we compare spatial access methods for rectangles. After presenting a survey and classification of existing spatial access methods we carefully selected the following four methods for implementation and performance comparison under six different data files (distributions) and various types of queries: the R-tree, the BANG file, PLOP hashing and the BUDDY hash tree. The result presented two winners: the BANG file and the BUDDY hash tree. This comparison is a first step towards a standardized testbed or benchmark. We offer our data and query files to each designer of a new point or spatial access method such that he can run his implementation in our testbed

Variations and Application Conditions Of the Data Type »Image« - The Foundation of Computational Visualistics

Few years ago, the department of computer science of the University Magdeburg invented a completely new diploma programme called 'computational visualistics', a curriculum dealing with all aspects of computational pictures. Only isolated aspects had been studied so far in computer science, particularly in the independent domains of computer graphics, image processing, information visualization, and computer vision. So is there indeed a coherent domain of research behind such a curriculum? The answer to that question depends crucially on a data structure that acts as a mediator between general visualistics and computer science: the data structure "image". The present text investigates that data structure, its components, and its application conditions, and thus elaborates the very foundations of computational visualistics as a unique and homogenous field of research. Before concentrating on that data structure, the theory of pictures in general and the definition of pictures as perceptoid signs in particular are closely examined. This includes an act-theoretic consideration about resemblance as the crucial link between image and object, the communicative function of context building as the central concept for comparing pictures and language, and several modes of reflection underlying the relation between image and image user. In the main chapter, the data structure "image" is extendedly analyzed under the perspectives of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. While syntactic aspects mostly concern image processing, semantic questions form the core of computer graphics and computer vision. Pragmatic considerations are particularly involved with interactive pictures but also extend to the field of information visualization and even to computer art. Four case studies provide practical applications of various aspects of the analysis

Intelligent iconic pictorial database system

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Kolmogorov Complexity in perspective. Part II: Classification, Information Processing and Duality

We survey diverse approaches to the notion of information: from Shannon entropy to Kolmogorov complexity. Two of the main applications of Kolmogorov complexity are presented: randomness and classification. The survey is divided in two parts published in a same volume. Part II is dedicated to the relation between logic and information system, within the scope of Kolmogorov algorithmic information theory. We present a recent application of Kolmogorov complexity: classification using compression, an idea with provocative implementation by authors such as Bennett, Vitanyi and Cilibrasi. This stresses how Kolmogorov complexity, besides being a foundation to randomness, is also related to classification. Another approach to classification is also considered: the so-called "Google classification". It uses another original and attractive idea which is connected to the classification using compression and to Kolmogorov complexity from a conceptual point of view. We present and unify these different approaches to classification in terms of Bottom-Up versus Top-Down operational modes, of which we point the fundamental principles and the underlying duality. We look at the way these two dual modes are used in different approaches to information system, particularly the relational model for database introduced by Codd in the 70's. This allows to point out diverse forms of a fundamental duality. These operational modes are also reinterpreted in the context of the comprehension schema of axiomatic set theory ZF. This leads us to develop how Kolmogorov's complexity is linked to intensionality, abstraction, classification and information system.Comment: 43 page

Suitably underspecified: systematic notations and the relations between paper and music

Through building a taxonomy of drawing, and a set of four drawing research studies aimed at generating innovative cross-disciplinary practices, an argument will be developed that systematised drawings such as the music notation are hybrid representational environments, sufficiently different from other inscriptive practices as to merit a separate classification. The taxonomical model will decentralise specific modes of drawing, in favour of a multi-disciplinary view appropriate to the persistence of its subject as a deeply rooted strategic and executive practice, and the four studies will engage the time-factoring of notation systems as transductive environments, setting the conditions for innovative practices both in and outside of the frame of the inscription