Just In Time: defining historical chronographics

The paper is historical in two respects, both concerned with visual representations of past time. Its first purpose is to enquire how visual representations of historical time can be used to bring out patterns in a museum collection. A case study is presented of the visualisation of data with sufficient subtlety to be useful to historians and curators. Such a visual analytics approach raises questions about the proper representation of time and of objects and events within it. It is argued that such chronographics can support both an externalised, objectivising point of view from ‘outside’ time and one which is immersive and gives a sense of the historic moment. These modes are set in their own historical context through original historical research, highlighting the shift to an Enlightenment view of time as a uniform container for events. This in turn prompts new ways of thinking about chronological visualisation, in particular the separation of the ‘ideal’ image of time from contingent, temporary rendered views

Just in time: defining historical chronographics

The paper is historical in two respects, both concerned with visual representations of past time. Its first purpose is to enquire how visual representations of historical time can be used to bring out patterns in a museum collection. A case study is presented of the visualisation of data with sufficient subtlety to be useful to historians and curators. Such a visual analytics approach raises questions about the proper representation of time and of objects and events within it. It is argued that such chronographics can support both an externalised, objectivising point of view from ‘outside’ time and one which is immersive and gives a sense of the historic moment. These modes are set in their own historical context through original historical research, highlighting the shift to an Enlightenment view of time as a uniform container for events. This in turn prompts new ways of thinking about chronological visualisation, in particular the separation of the ‘ideal’ image of time from contingent, temporary rendered views

Using Data Visualisation to tell Stories about Collections

The paper explores visualisation of “big data” from digitised museum collections and archives, focusing on the relationship between data, visualisation and narrative. A contrast is presented between visualisations that show “just the data” and those that present the information in such a way as to tell a story using visual rhetorical devices; such devices have historically included trees, streams, chains, geometric shapes and other forms. The contrast is explored through historical examples and a survey of current practice. A discussion centred on visualising datasets from the British Library, Science Museum and Wellcome Library is used to outline key research questions

Creation, Enrichment and Application of Knowledge Graphs

The world is in constant change, and so is the knowledge about it. Knowledge-based systems - for example, online encyclopedias, search engines and virtual assistants - are thus faced with the constant challenge of collecting this knowledge and beyond that, to understand it and make it accessible to their users. Only if a knowledge-based system is capable of this understanding - that is, it is capable of more than just reading a collection of words and numbers without grasping their semantics - it can recognise relevant information and make it understandable to its users. The dynamics of the world play a unique role in this context: Events of various kinds which are relevant to different communities are shaping the world, with examples ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to the matches of a local football team. Vital questions arise when dealing with such events: How to decide which events are relevant, and for whom? How to model these events, to make them understood by knowledge-based systems? How is the acquired knowledge returned to the users of these systems? A well-established concept for making knowledge understandable by knowledge-based systems are knowledge graphs, which contain facts about entities (persons, objects, locations, ...) in the form of graphs, represent relationships between these entities and make the facts understandable by means of ontologies. This thesis considers knowledge graphs from three different perspectives: (i) Creation of knowledge graphs: Even though the Web offers a multitude of sources that provide knowledge about the events in the world, the creation of an event-centric knowledge graph requires recognition of such knowledge, its integration across sources and its representation. (ii) Knowledge graph enrichment: Knowledge of the world seems to be infinite, and it seems impossible to grasp it entirely at any time. Therefore, methods that autonomously infer new knowledge and enrich the knowledge graphs are of particular interest. (iii) Knowledge graph interaction: Even having all knowledge of the world available does not have any value in itself; in fact, there is a need to make it accessible to humans. Based on knowledge graphs, systems can provide their knowledge with their users, even without demanding any conceptual understanding of knowledge graphs from them. For this to succeed, means for interaction with the knowledge are required, hiding the knowledge graph below the surface. In concrete terms, I present EventKG - a knowledge graph that represents the happenings in the world in 15 languages - as well as Tab2KG - a method for understanding tabular data and transforming it into a knowledge graph. For the enrichment of knowledge graphs without any background knowledge, I propose HapPenIng, which infers missing events from the descriptions of related events. I demonstrate means for interaction with knowledge graphs at the example of two web-based systems (EventKG+TL and EventKG+BT) that enable users to explore the happenings in the world as well as the most relevant events in the lives of well-known personalities.Die Welt befindet sich im steten Wandel, und mit ihr das Wissen über die Welt. Wissensbasierte Systeme - seien es Online-Enzyklopädien, Suchmaschinen oder Sprachassistenten - stehen somit vor der konstanten Herausforderung, dieses Wissen zu sammeln und darüber hinaus zu verstehen, um es so Menschen verfügbar zu machen. Nur wenn ein wissensbasiertes System in der Lage ist, dieses Verständnis aufzubringen - also zu mehr in der Lage ist, als auf eine unsortierte Ansammlung von Wörtern und Zahlen zurückzugreifen, ohne deren Bedeutung zu erkennen -, kann es relevante Informationen erkennen und diese seinen Nutzern verständlich machen. Eine besondere Rolle spielt hierbei die Dynamik der Welt, die von Ereignissen unterschiedlichster Art geformt wird, die für unterschiedlichste Bevölkerungsgruppe relevant sind; Beispiele hierfür erstrecken sich von der Corona-Pandemie bis hin zu den Spielen lokaler Fußballvereine. Doch stellen sich hierbei bedeutende Fragen: Wie wird die Entscheidung getroffen, ob und für wen derlei Ereignisse relevant sind? Wie sind diese Ereignisse zu modellieren, um von wissensbasierten Systemen verstanden zu werden? Wie wird das angeeignete Wissen an die Nutzer dieser Systeme zurückgegeben? Ein bewährtes Konzept, um wissensbasierten Systemen das Wissen verständlich zu machen, sind Wissensgraphen, die Fakten über Entitäten (Personen, Objekte, Orte, ...) in der Form von Graphen sammeln, Zusammenhänge zwischen diesen Entitäten darstellen, und darüber hinaus anhand von Ontologien verständlich machen. Diese Arbeit widmet sich der Betrachtung von Wissensgraphen aus drei aufeinander aufbauenden Blickwinkeln: (i) Erstellung von Wissensgraphen: Auch wenn das Internet eine Vielzahl an Quellen anbietet, die Wissen über Ereignisse in der Welt bereithalten, so erfordert die Erstellung eines ereigniszentrierten Wissensgraphen, dieses Wissen zu erkennen, miteinander zu verbinden und zu repräsentieren. (ii) Anreicherung von Wissensgraphen: Das Wissen über die Welt scheint schier unendlich und so scheint es unmöglich, dieses je vollständig (be)greifen zu können. Von Interesse sind also Methoden, die selbstständig das vorhandene Wissen erweitern. (iii) Interaktion mit Wissensgraphen: Selbst alles Wissen der Welt bereitzuhalten, hat noch keinen Wert in sich selbst, vielmehr muss dieses Wissen Menschen verfügbar gemacht werden. Basierend auf Wissensgraphen, können wissensbasierte Systeme Nutzern ihr Wissen darlegen, auch ohne von diesen ein konzeptuelles Verständis von Wissensgraphen abzuverlangen. Damit dies gelingt, sind Möglichkeiten der Interaktion mit dem gebotenen Wissen vonnöten, die den genutzten Wissensgraphen unter der Oberfläche verstecken. Konkret präsentiere ich EventKG - einen Wissensgraphen, der Ereignisse in der Welt repräsentiert und in 15 Sprachen verfügbar macht, sowie Tab2KG - eine Methode, um in Tabellen enthaltene Daten anhand von Hintergrundwissen zu verstehen und in Wissensgraphen zu wandeln. Zur Anreicherung von Wissensgraphen ohne weiteres Hintergrundwissen stelle ich HapPenIng vor, das fehlende Ereignisse aus den vorliegenden Beschreibungen ähnlicher Ereignisse inferiert. Interaktionsmöglichkeiten mit Wissensgraphen demonstriere ich anhand zweier web-basierter Systeme (EventKG+TL und EventKG+BT), die Nutzern auf einfache Weise die Exploration von Geschehnissen in der Welt sowie der wichtigsten Ereignisse in den Leben bekannter Persönlichkeiten ermöglichen

Visualising Cultural Data: Exploring Digital Collections Through Timeline Visualisations

This thesis explores the ability of data visualisation to enable knowl-edge discovery in digital collections. Its emphasis lies on time-based visualisations, such as timelines. Although timelines are among the earliest examples of graphical renderings of data, they are often used merely as devices for linear storytelling and not as tools for visual analysis. Investigating this type of visualisation reveals the particular challenges of digital timelines for scholarly research. In addition, the intersection between the key issues of time-wise visualisation and digital collections acts as a focal point. Departing from authored temporal descriptions in collections data, the research examines how curatorial decisions influence collec-tions data and how these decisions may be made manifest in timeline visualisations. The thesis contributes a new understanding of the knowledge embedded in digital collections and provides practical and conceptual means for making this knowledge accessible and usable. The case is made that digital collections are not simply represen-tations of physical archives. Digital collections record not only what is known about the content of an archive. Collections data contains traces of institutional decisions and curatorial biases, as well as data related to administrative procedures. Such ‘hidden data’ – information that has not been explicitly recorded, but is nevertheless present in the dataset – is crucial for drawing informed conclusions from dig-itised cultural collections and can be exposed through appropriately designed visualisation tools. The research takes a practice-led and collaborative approach, work-ing closely with cultural institutions and their curators. Functional prototypes address issues of visualising large cultural datasets and the representation of uncertain and multiple temporal descriptions that are typically found in digital collections. The prototypes act as means towards an improved understanding of and a critical engagement with the time-wise visualisation of col-lections data. Two example implementations put the design principles that have emerged into practice and demonstrate how such tools may assist in knowledge discovery in cultural collections. Calls for new visualisation tools that are suitable for the purposes of humanities research are widespread in the scholarly community. However, the present thesis shows that gaining new insights into digital collections does not only require technological advancement, but also an epistemological shift in working with digital collections. This shift is expressed in the kind of questions that curators have started seeking to answer through visualisation. Digitisation requires and affords new ways of interrogating collections that depart from putting the collected artefact and its creator at the centre of human-istic enquiry. Instead, digital collections need to be seen as artefacts themselves. Recognising this leads curators to address self-reflective research questions that seek to study the history of an institution and the influence that individuals have had on the holdings of a collection; questions that so far escaped their areas of research

Supporting Narratives in News Stories through Visualization

O uso de histórias para transmitir mensagens tem sido uma constante desde os primórdios dos tempos, o que prova a importância do storytelling. Uma técnica particularmente interessante para contar histórias é o uso de narrativas visuais (NV). Utilizando elementos visuais como complemento da narrativa, podemos enriquecer uma história "tradicional" e facilitar a sua leitura e compreensão. Ao longo deste projeto, comprometemo-nos a estudar o campo das narrativas visuais a um nível académico, jornalístico e artístico, bem como a tentar compreender como nos podemos servir de elementos visuais, com particular destaque para o multimédia, para atrair o leitor e manter o interesse do mesmo em histórias que se prolonguem ao longo de vários meses ou anos. Servindo-nos de uma metodologia de investigação mista, após completarmos a investigação bibliográfica, realizamos entrevistas a cinco jornalistas, tendo mais tarde complementado este estudo com um inquérito feito a leitores sobre a temática das NV. De acordo com os entrevistados, o futuro do jornalismo digital prende-se com a utilização do long-form, multimédia e interatividade, lado a lado com narrativas visuais para contar uma história. Contudo, nunca dispensando a utilização do texto, uma vez que é parte essencial das NV. Não obstante, é necessário encontrar opções cativantes que ajudem a combater o cada vez menor tempo de atenção do leitor. Tendo em mente que atenção não pode ser vista como sinónimo de compreensão, é necessário repensar a noção que temos de boas formas de transmitir informação e lembrar que as opções mais simples são geralmente as mais eficazes. A realização de um inquérito a leitores permitiu aprofundar a questão da transmissão de informação auxiliada por elementos visuais. Os resultados mostraram que a timeline permanece como o formato ideal de NV e que as pessoas preferem divisões claras de informação, em lugar de formatos mais compactos, como o wordcloud e fotomosaico. Tornou-se claro que as NV em jornalismo são vistas como uma vantagem pela maioria de estudiosos, leitores e profissionais da área. Com base nas informações recolhidas, criou-se uma primeira versão de um protótipo não funcional para contar uma história ao longo de seis meses, que, mais tarde, foi testado em focus group com cinco estudantes de Mestrado. Ao aplicarmos o conceito da pirâmide deitada de Canavilhas para contar histórias online, oferecemos ao leitor um maior controlo da história e abrimos a possibilidade de leitura da informação a partir de mais do que um eixo, facilitando a captação e manutenção do seu foco. Aplicamos ainda o conceito de curiosity gap, dando ao leitor apenas a informação necessária a uma primeira vista, esperando incitar nele a vontade de explorar mais a fundo o protótipo. Uma segunda versão foi posteriormente criada e testada com leitores por meio de um segundo inquérito, de modo a percebermos quais as limitações que ainda possuía. Os resultados finais demonstraram que, apesar de ainda existir espaço para melhorias, o protótipo desenvolvido não só é um método eficaz de transmissão de informação, como também é preferido pela grande maioria das pessoas inquiridas, relativamente à leitura tradicional de notícias.The human being has been using stories to pass on messages since the dawn of time, which proves the importance of storytelling. A particularly interesting technique for telling stories is the use of visual narratives (VN). By making use of visual elements to complement the narrative, we can enrich a "traditional" story and make it easier to read and comprehend. Throughout this project, we have done our best to study the field of visual narratives on an academic, journalistic and artistic level, as well as trying to understand how we can use visual elements, with particular emphasis on multimedia, to attract the reader and maintain their interest in stories that span over several months or years. Using a mixed method methodology, after completing the bibliographic research, we conducted interviews with five journalists, having later complemented this study with a survey made to readers on the subject of VN. According to the interviewees, the future of digital journalism's storytelling is linked to the use of the long-form, multimedia and interactivity, side by side with visual narratives. However, since text is an essential part of a VN, one must never forget to use it, as a visual narrative cannot exist without it. Nevertheless, it is necessary to find captivating options that help to combat the reader's diminishing attention span. Bearing in mind that attention cannot be seen as synonymous with comprehension, it is necessary to rethink our notion of proper ways to convey information and remember that the simplest options are usually the most effective. A narrative visualization survey done to readers allowed us to deepen the issue of information transmission aided by visual elements. The results showed that the timeline remains as the ideal VN format and that people prefer clear divisions of information over more compact formats, such as the wordcloud and photomosaic. It became clear that VN in journalism are seen as an advantage by most scholars, readers and professionals of the field. Based on the gathered information, a first version of a non-functional prototype was created to tell a story over six months, which was later tested in a focus group with five Master's degree students. By applying Canavilhas' Tumbled Pyramid concept to online storytelling, we offer the reader greater control over the story and open up the possibility of reading information from more than one axis, thus facilitating the capture and maintenance of their focus. We also applied the concept of curiosity gap, providing the reader with nothing but the necessary information at first glance, hoping to incite them to further explore the prototype. A second version was later created and tested with readers through a second survey, in order to understand the limitations it still had. The final results showed that, although there is still room for improvement, the developed prototype is not only an effective method of transmitting information, but it is also preferred by the vast majority of surveyed people over traditional news reading

Exploring the biography and artworks of Picasso with interactive calendars and timelines

Searching for resources that are related to time periods or events can be frustrating and even problematic since it is often bound to keyword matching or prior knowledge of the exact dates of occurrence. Additionally, the ordered and itemized list that is often returned as a result is unable to provide the required affordances and constraints that users need and desire to conduct scholarly research properly. The following thesis proposes the implementation of timelines and calendar-based interfaces to browse and search through the life events and artworks documented in the Online Picasso Project. The affordances, constraints and inherent visual nature of the proposed interfaces aid scholars and general users in answering questions regarding the relationship between life events and artworks of the famous Spanish artist. The temporal interfaces are used specifically in the context of the Online Picasso Project and provide several advantages over standard HTML interfaces