Towards Coordination-Intensive Visualization Software

Most coordination realizations in current visualization systems are ''last-minute'' ad-hoc and rely on the richness of the chosen implementation language. Moreover, very few visualization models implicitly consider coordination. If coordination is contemplated from the design point of view, it is usually only regarded as part of the communication protocol and is generally dealt with within that restricted domain. Coordinated multiple views are beneficial and a flexible model for coordination will ensure easy embedding of coordination in such exploratory environments. This paper compares different approaches to coordination in exploratory visualization (EV). We recognize the need for a coordination model and for that we formalize aspects of coordination in EV. Furthermore, our work draws on the findings of the interdisciplinary study of coordination by various researchers

Understanding alternatives in data analysis activities

Data workers are non-professional data scientists who engage in data analysis activities as part of their daily work. In this position paper, we share past and on-going work to understand data workers’ sense-making practices. We use multidisciplinary approaches to explore their human-tool partnerships. We introduce our current research on the role of alternatives in data analysis activities. Finally, we conclude with open questions and research directions

A Mixed Approach for the Evaluation of a Guided Exploratory Visualization System

HAL Id : hal-01153887, version 1 HAL Id : hal-01153887, version 1International audienceWe summarise and reflect upon our experience in evaluating a guided exploratory visualization system. Our system guides users in their exploration of multidimensional datasets to pertinent views of their data, where the notion of pertinence is defined by automatic indicators, such as the amount of visual patterns in the view, and subjective user feedback obtained during their interaction with the tool. To evaluate this type of system, we argue for deploying a collection of validation methods that are: user-centered, observing the utility and effectiveness of the system for the end-user; and algorithm-centered, analysing the computational behaviour of the system. We report on observations and lessons learnt from working with expert users both for the design and the evaluation of our system

Evaluating Sketchy Lines for the Visualization of Qualitative Uncertainty

We report on results of a series of user studies on the perception of visual variables that are commonly used in the literature to depict uncertainty. To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first formal evaluation of the use of these variables to facilitate an easier reading of uncertainty in visualizations that rely on line graphical primitives. In addition to blur, dashing and grayscale, we investigate the use of 'sketchiness' as a visual variable because it conveys visual impreciseness that may be associated with data quality. Inspired by work in non-photorealistic rendering and by the features of hand-drawn lines, we generate line trajectories that resemble hand-drawn strokes of various levels of proficiency--ranging from child to adult strokes--where the amount of perturbations in the line corresponds to the level of uncertainty in the data. Our results show that sketchiness for the visualization of uncertainty in lines is as intuitive as blur; although people subjectively prefer dashing style over blur, grayscale and sketchiness. We discuss advantages and limitations of each technique and conclude with design considerations on how to deploy these visual variables to effectively depict various levels of uncertainty for line marks.Nous rapportons les résultats d'études utilisateurs sur la perception de variables visuelles qui sont couramment utilisées dans la littérature pour représenter l'incertitude. A notre connaissance, nous rapportons la première évaluation formelle de l'utilisation de ces variables pour faciliter la lecture de l'incertitude dans des visualisations qui reposent sur des lignes graphiques primitives. En plus du flouté, des pointillés et des niveaux de gris, nous avons étudié l'utilisation du dessin á main levée comme variable visuelle parce qu'il transmet l'imprécision qui peut être associée á la qualité des données. Inspirés par les travaux sur NPR (Non-Photorealistic Rendering) et par l'aspect des lignes tracées á la main, nous avons généré des trajectoires linéaires ressemblant á des traits dessinés á la main, et correspondant á différents niveaux de compétence--allant de l'enfant á l'adulte--pour lesquels la quantité de perturbations dans la ligne correspondait au niveau d'incertitude des données. Nos résultats montrent que l'utilisation du dessin á main levée pour la visualisation de l'incertitude dans les lignes est aussi intuitive que le flouté, bien qu'intuitivement les personnes préfèrent subjectivement les pointillés au flou, aux niveaux de gris ainsi qu'au dessin á main levée. Nous discutons les avantages et les limites de chaque technique et nous concluons sur des considérations de conception, concernant comment déployer ces variables visuelles pour représenter efficacement plusieurs niveaux d'incertitude pour des repères linéaires

SEEING THE UNSEEN: DELIVERING INTEGRATED UNDERGROUND UTILITY DATA IN THE UK

In earlier work we proposed a framework to integrate heterogeneous geospatial utility data in the UK. This paper provides an update on the techniques used to resolve semantic and schematic heterogeneities in the UK utility domain. Approaches for data delivery are discussed, including descriptions of three pilot projects and domain specific visualization issues are considered. A number of practical considerations are discussed that will impact on how any implementation architecture is derived from the integration framework. Considerations of stability, security, currency, operational impact and response time can reveal a number of conflicting constraints. The impacts of these constraints are discussed in respect of either a virtual or materialised delivery system. 1

INDCOR White Paper 2: Interactive Narrative Design for Representing Complexity

This white paper was written by the members of the Work Group focusing on design practices of the COST Action 18230 - Interactive Narrative Design for Complexity Representation (INDCOR, WG1). It presents an overview of Interactive Digital Narratives (IDNs) design for complexity representations through IDN workflows and methodologies, IDN authoring tools and applications. It provides definitions of the central elements of the IDN alongside its best practices, designs and methods. Finally, it describes complexity as a feature of IDN, with related examples. In summary, this white paper serves as an orienting map for the field of IDN design, understanding where we are in the contemporary panorama while charting the grounds of their promising futures.Comment: 11 pages, This whitepaper was produced by members of the COST Action 18230 - Interactive Narrative Design for Complexity Representation (INDCOR - https://indcor.eu

INDCOR white paper on the Design of Complexity IDNs

This white paper was written by the members of the Work Group focusing on design practices of the COST Action 18230 - Interactive Narrative Design for Complexity Representation (INDCOR, WG1). It presents an overview of Interactive Digital Narratives (IDNs) design for complexity representations through IDN workflows and methodologies, IDN authoring tools and applications. It provides definitions of the central elements of the IDN alongside its best practices, designs and methods. Finally, it describes complexity as a feature of IDN, with related examples. In summary, this white paper serves as an orienting map for the field of IDN design, understanding where we are in the contemporary panorama while charting the grounds of their promising futures

A model and software system for coordinated and multiple views in exploratory visualization

This paper describes a model for expressing coordination in multiple view visualization systems. We present the model and describe a prototype implementation that illustrates the features of the model. Current visualization systems tend to have an informal and inconsistent approach to coordination, so our model is an attempt to put widely used coordination concepts on a more formal footing. The model is based on views sharing abstract objects that contain dataflow parameters and describes how current coordinations in exploratory visualization work and allows novel coordinations to be constructed

Visual Depictions of Search Results: using glyphs and coordinated multiple-views

Jonathan Roberts, Nadia Boukhelifa, Peter Rodgers have developed a system that can visualize search-result data using glyphs and coordinated multiple-views. They stress a need for a web-search result visualization as the rank-ordered lists of search results allow the user view only a small proportion of the results in a single window. Some of the glyphs show the domain of the site of each webpage (with the addresses: .country, .com, .edu, .org, or .net mapped to triangle, circle, square, parallelogram, hexagon, plus-symbol, respectively), where the rank is allocated a color (with a brighter color representing a higher ranked entity) and the size of the page relates to the border-width of the glyph. Another glyph design is based on quartiles (with the use of color, placement, and concentric rings) and allowed to assign the quantities to the lower, median or upper quartile or represent the measure of external and internal links of a site placement

Dynamic Coordinated Email Visualization

Many computer users receive hundreds (if not thousands) of emails per week; users often keep these emails and have many years of personal emails archived: users use their stored emails to manage appointments, to-do lists, and store useful information. In this paper we present an interactive email visualization tool (Mailview) that utilizes filter and coordination techniques to explore this archived data. The tool enables users to analyze and visualize hundreds of stored emails, it displays the emails on time-dependent plots enabling users to observe trends over time and perceive emails with similar features. Interaction is an important aspect of finding meaning within information, hence the tool utilizes focus+context views, dynamic filters, detail-on-demand techniques and coordinated views, finally, we discuss various methods that enable the system to be designed such that it can display hundreds of objects at interactive rates