Abstract: Visualization techniques are of increasing importance in exploring and analyzing large amounts of multidimensional information. One important class of visualization techniques which is particularly interesting for visualizing very large multidimensional data sets is the class of pixel-oriented techniques. The basic idea of pixel-oriented visualization techniques is to represent as many data objects as possible on the screen at the same time by mapping each data value to a pixel of the screen and arranging the pixels adequately. A number of different pixel-oriented visualization techniques have been proposed in recent years and it has been shown that the techniques are useful for visual data exploration in a number of different application contexts. In this paper, we discuss a number of issues which are important in developing pixel-oriented visualization techniques. The major goal of this article is to provide a formal basis of pixel-oriented visualization techniques and show that the design decisions in developing them can be seen as solutions of well-defined optimization problems. This is true for the mapping of the data values to colors, the arrangement of pixels inside the subwindows, the shape of the subwindows, and the ordering of the dimension subwindows. The paper also discusses the design issues of special variants of pixel-oriented techniques for visualizing large spatial data sets.

Abstract: Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has the potential to be a powerful tool for the visualization of burgeoning scientific data sets and models. We sketch a research agenda for the hardware and software technology underlying IVR for scientific visualization. In contrast to Brooks' (1999) excellent survey which reported on the state of IVR and provided concrete examples of its production use, this article is somewhat speculative. It does not present solutions but rather a progress report, a hope, and a call to action, to help scientists cope with a major crisis that threatens to impede their progress.

Abstract: n our ongoing quest to convey more information more clearly in a single image, harnessing the full potential of texture for data representation remains an elusive goal. Others have begun excellent work in this area, 1-3 and my efforts are inspired by their example. The grail that I seek is a partially ordered multidimensional palette of richly detailed and varying texture patterns that can be used—in conjunction with lightness and hue—to represent multivariate information. The goal is to facilitate the flexible visual appreciation of the correlations of various quantities across the different dimensions. The approach that I outline here departs a bit from the norm, but is motivated by a desire to proceed more directly from my vision of what I want to achieve, unrestrained by the limitations of the tools I have on hand. In the following discussion, I motivate the adoption of rich, natural textures—resembling those from photographic images 4 —as elemental primitives and sketch some of the approaches that we can take to enhance our understanding of how to effectively harness their properties. My intent here is not to present results, but to expound on the issues and conclude with the questions to which we're still seeking answers. The intricate variety and subtle richness of detail of texture patterns found in nature support possibilities for data representation far more vast and comprehensive than we could ordinarily hope to achieve from standard primi-tives. Even if we must ultimately rely on synthesized textures for data visualization, by looking to nature for inspiration we have the potential to expand our vision of what to strive for in such a synthesis. The graphic design community has long held that perfectly regular synthetic textures on a flat plane, in particular the infamous hatching patterns that Edward Tufte refers to as \" chart junk, \" 5 are discomforting to the eye and annoying to look at. Natural textures are not only more aesthetic, but they also put less extraneous stress on the visual system, leaving our eyes freer to observe and attend to the most intrin-sically important texture-pattern characteristics. To create a perceptually meaningful multidimen-sional texture space that can be indexed in the same fashion as a color space, we must begin by knowing what we're looking for. We need to proceed from a rigorous and experimentally supported understanding of how human observers perceive and interpret texture patterns , under the conditions in …

Abstract: Visualization is about discovery and understanding; the user wishes to gain a correct insight into the underlying information, to explore and analyze how different parts are related. Thus, presentation, exploration and explanation tools are used with manipulation and investigative techniques to display, discover and gain a 'correct dissemination' of the information. Moreover, by displaying the information simultaneously in multiple ways the user is aided in their investigation. Such multiform techniques may be generated through various algorithms; we organize these methods according to how they apply to the individual stages of the dataflow paradigm. These multiforms may be displayed in separate windows. Multiple views are useful (1) to overcome misinterpretations and provide additional insight, (2) for scientific exploration tasks of relating, coupling and to aid the 'drilling down' of information, and (3) to provide alter-native viewpoints by expressing different user-interpretations of the same information. Finally, to use multiple views effectively they should be, among other things, easily created, automatically coupled to other views and dynamically manipulated.

Abstract: The Visual Information Systems International Conference series is designed to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners from diverse areas of computing including computer vision, databases, human–computer interaction, information security, image processing, information visualization and mining, as well as knowledge and information management to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, present their latest results and to advance research and development in the construction and application of visual information systems. Following previous conferences held in Melbourne (1996), San Diego (1997), Amsterdam (1999), Lyon (2000), Taiwan (2002), Miami (2003), San Francisco (2004) and Amsterdam (2005), the Ninth International Conference on Visual Information Systems, VISUAL2007, was held in Shanghai, China, June 28–29, 2007. Over the years, the visual information systems paradigm continues to evolve, and the unrelenting exponential growth in the amount of digital visual data underlines the escalating importance of how such data are effectively managed and deployed. VISUAL2007 received 117 submissions from 15 countries and regions. Submitted full papers were reviewed by more than 60 international experts in the field. This volume collects 54 selected papers presented at VISUAL2007. Topics covered in these papers include image and video retrieval, visual biometrics, intelligent visual information processing, visual data mining, ubiquitous and mobile visual information systems, visual semantics, 2D/3D graphical visual data retrieval and applications of visual information systems.

Abstract: We discuss the evolution of the NIST Information Retrieval Visualization Engine. This prototype employs modern interactive visualization techniques to provide easier access to a set of documents resulting from a query to a search engine. The motivation and evaluation of several design features, such as keywork to concept mapping, explicit clustering, the use of 3D vs. 2D, and the relationship of visualization to logical structure are described. In particular, the result of an extensive usability experiment show how visualization may lead to either increased or decreased cognitive load.

Abstract: The design of reliable visual quality metrics is complicated by our limited knowledge of the human visual system and the resulting variety of pertinent vision models. We have begun to analyze and compare a number of implementation choices for some components found in most of today's visual quality metrics that are based on a model of human vision and present the first results here.

Abstract: Many applications, from everyday file system browsers to visual programming tools, require the display of network and graph structures. The Graph Visualization Framework (GVF) is an architecture that supports the tasks common to most graph browsers and editors. This article gives a brief overview of the design of the GVF and focuses on the core classes that are used to represent and manipulate graphs. The design of the core classes is justified by the requirements for navigation and visualization.

Abstract: Topic maps the new ISO standard ISO-IEC 13250 provide a bridge between the domains of knowledge representation and information management. Topics and topic associations build a structured semantic link network above information resources. Our research aims at visualizing this semantic layer efficiently, which is a critical issue as topic maps may contain millions of topics and associations. This paper is divided into 3 parts. First, we depict briefly basic topic maps concepts. Then, we review a few graph visualization techniques. Finally, we describe the visualization tool we developed at the Laboratoire d’Informatique de Paris 6 and study how this tool may be used and enhanced for topic maps visualization. Introduction: basic topic maps concepts According to , topic maps the new ISO standard ISO-IEC 13250 will become the answer for organizing and navigating through large and continuously growing information pools. They provide a "bridge" between the domains of knowledge representation and information management. This standard defines both an abstract data model and a serialization syntax to represent knowledge structures and to link them to information resources. Figure 1 describes topic maps basic concepts: topics, occurrences of topics and relationships (associations) between topics. For example, consider an information pool consisting of conference material. These resources have different roles (occurrence roles) articles, videos, charts, call for participation, etc. Examples of topics are XML Europe, Paris, France. Topics also have different types conference, city, country, etc. and associations exist between them: XLM Europe takes places in Paris, Paris is in France. In this example, there are two types of associations "takes place in" and "is in".

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a new visualization platform for the interactive exploration of large datasets. The present invention integrates a collection of relevant visualization techniques to provide a new visual metaphor for viewing large datasets. It is capable of providing comprehensive support for data exploration, integrating large-scale data visualization with querying, browsing, and statistical evaluation. A variety of techniques are utilized to minimize processing delays and the use of system resources, including processing pipelines, direct IO, memory mapping, and dynamic linking of “on-the-fly” generated code.

Abstract: The following three reasons are sufficient to answer this question in the affirmative: careless mapping from data to pictures may lead to erroneous interpretation; a substantial amount of knowledge is necessary to generate images depicting complex information in a way that prevents erroneous interpretation; and decision making is increasingly based on visual representations. The organization and content of the core topics of visualization were finalized at a 1997 workshop at the Colorado School of Mines. These comprise the following eight themes: introduction to visualization; the data; the user and the task; mapping process; the representations; interaction issues; concepts of the visualization process; and systems and tools. The needs of educators and students vary too widely to bring one curriculum into focus. Instead, the eight themes recommended can be expanded into a curriculum, or compressed into several subtopics of a high-performance computing or computer graphics course. The themes can stand as separate modules, taught in a different order from that suggested. While my collaborators and I strongly recommend covering each of the core topics, we also encourage educators to expand individual themes to encompass the particular objectives of their students.

Abstract: There exist a number of scientific visualization systems designed to provide a two-dimensional interface to the user. However, little consideration has been given to the development of collaborative virtual environments for visualization purposes. This paper discusses the Tele-Immersive Data Explorer a generalizable framework to facilitate the construction of domain-specific data exploration applications challenged with the problem of having to visualize massive data-sets immersively and collaboratively. In the paper we describe the framework’s conceptual organization, its distributed multiprocessed objectoriented architecture, and its application to visualize gridded scalar data.

Abstract: The process of scientific visualization is inherently iterative. A good visualization comes from experimenting with visualization, rendering, and viewing parameters to bring out the most relevant information in the data. A good data visualization system thus lets scientists interactively explore the parameter space intuitively. The more efficient the system, the fewer the number of iterations needed for parameter selection. Over the past 10 years, significant efforts have gone into advancing visualization technology (such as real-time volume rendering and immersive environments), but little into coherently representing the process and results (images and insights) of visualization. This information about the data exploration should be shared and reused. In particular, for types of data visualization with a high cost of producing images and less than obvious relationship between the rendering parameters and the image produced, a visual representation of the exploration process can make the process more efficient and effective. This visual representation of data exploration process and results can be incorporated into and become a part of the user interface of a data exploration system. That is, we need to go beyond the traditional graphical user interface (GUI) design by coupling it with a mechanism that helps users keep track of their visualization experience, use it to generate new visualizations, and share it with others. Doing so can reduce the cost of visualization, particularly for routine analysis of large-scale data sets.

Abstract: Since novice users of visualization systems lack knowledge and expertise in data visualization, it is a tough task for them to generate efficient and effective visualizations that allow them to comprehend information that is embedded in the data. Therefore, systems supporting the users to design appropriate visualizations are of great importance. The GADGET (Goal-oriented Application Design Guidance for modular visualization EnvironmenTs) system, which has been developed by the authors (1997), interactively helps users to design scientific visualization applications by presenting appropriate MVE (Modular Visualization Environment) prototypes according to the specification of the visualization goals expressed mainly with the Wehrend matrix (S. Wehrend & C. Lewis, 1990). This paper extends this approach in order to develop a system named GADGET/IV, which is intended to provide the users with an environment for semi-automatic design of information visualization (IV) applications. To this end, a novel goal-oriented taxonomy of IV techniques is presented. Also, an initial design of the system architecture and user assistance flow is described. The usefulness of the GADGET/IV system is illustrated with example problems of Web site access frequency analysis.

Abstract: Information visualization has been an active research topic for more than a decade. Products are starting to appear. This article discusses some of the research and commercial opportunities for information visualization over the next decade.

Abstract: With an increase in the number of different visualization techniques, it becomes necessary to develop a measure for evaluating the effectiveness of visualizations. Metrics to evaluate visual displays were developed based on measures of information content developed by Shannon and used in communication theory. These measures of information content can be used to quantify the relative effectiveness of displays.

Abstract: This article focuses on the use of Virtual Reality in the creation of Information Visualization systems and applications aiming to generate more interactive and easy-fi'iendly visualizations. The development of the InfoVis tool, created as part of a virtual environment, is described and discussed with emphasis on implementation aspects

Abstract: Cartographic visualization is one of the focuses of cartography,and is now attracting more and more attention The paper gives the definition of cartographic visualization in the beginning,and then presents some characteristics of cartographic visualization The diagram of cartographic visualization research is putforward in the most important part of this paper,which includes six parts There are research on cartographic visualization variables,research on classification of cartographic visualization,research on spatial- temporal data structure and models,research on the impact of visualization and perception of visualization,research on virtual reality,research on spatial cognition and the communication of spatial information In the end,a case study on Beijing 3D terrain is introduced

Abstract: Visualiztion emerges in the background of digital technics.The function of visualization is to give the reins to humans thinking in terms of images in a state of interaction with computer. The maps are visual products in the first place and form a series of theory and method in process of its development.All of this would be the base of visualization of geospatial data.The GIS supporting with visualization will become a combinative tool of both thinking in terms of images and logic for researchers.

Abstract: This paper proposes a framework for easily integrating and controlling information visualization (infoVis) components within web pages to create powerful interactive “live” documents, or LiveDocs. The framework includes a set of infoVis components which can be placed and linked within a standard HTML document, initialized to focus on key analysis results, and directly manipulated by readers to explore and analyze data further. In addition, authors can script the manipulation of views at the user interaction level (e.g., to set view options, select items within a view, or animate a view). We illustrate our approach with a sample analysis of a real-life data set.

Abstract: Domain visualization aims to reveal the most significant intellectual structure associated with a subject domain. This article illustrates how domain visualization enables novel ways of accessing scientific literature in digital libraries. The domain of computer graphics is visualized based on a citation analysis of articles appeared in the prestigious IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications over 18 years (1982-1999). The derived the high-dimensional domain structure is uncovered through the use of various visualization and animation techniques. Author co-citation maps open up new ways of visual information retrieval. Not only can users explore domain visualizations as a virtual landscape, but also invoke queries directly to a digital library. In this article, the domain visualization is linked to various citation-related information of scientific literature on the Web through NEC's ResearchIndex system.

Abstract: One of the biggest areas of scientific visualization ( ViSC) application is Medicine: with the evolution of image acquisition techniques the capacity and fidelity of image diagnosis were extended Due to the large number of medical exams that output images, several visualization systems have been developed dealing with specific problems in this area in the last few years The growing of World Wide Web-based applications and the modern trend of cooperative work in scientific research gave rise to a new class of systems, the so-called collaborative visualization systems This survey presents an overview of ViSC in Medicine emphasizing the different approaches for collaborative visualization, and discussing difficulties still found for its real utilization

Abstract: The explosive growth of scientific visualization in the past 10 years demonstrate a consistent and tacit agreement among scientists that visualization offers a better representation system for displaying complex data than traditional charting methods. However, most visualization works have not been unable to exploit the full potential of visualization techniques. The reason may be that these attempts have been largely executed by scientists. While they have the technical skills for conducting research, they do not have the design background that would allow them to display data in easy to understand formats. This paper presents the architectural methodology, theory, technology and products that are being employed in an ongoing multidisciplinary data visualization research in anesthesiology. The project’s main goal is to develop a new data representation technology to visualize physiologic information in real time. Using physiologic data, 3-D objects are generated in digital space that represent physiologic changes within the body and show functional relationships that aid in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of critical events. Preliminary testing results show statistically significant reduction in detection times. The research outcome, potential, and recently received NIH grant supporting the team’s scientific methods all point to the contributions that architecture may offer to the growing field of data visualization.

Abstract: 2D and 3D visualization technologies developed for the Web are taking the world by storm. Companies now see the Internet/intranet and the Web as key mechanisms for distributing information internally and among their customers. With the evolution of standard Web-based visualization components, the opportunity to provide interactive electronic documents has become practicable. The author of a scientific, engineering or business analysis, can distribute electronic documents with embedded interactive 3D visualization viewers to colleagues. This paper shows how to deliver interactive visual data navigation in an electronic document through the Web based on Microsoft's ActiveX/COM industry standard.

Abstract: The authors discuss several approaches for providing visualization solutions over the WWW, exploiting available technology for programming Web based applications. An implementation that supports interactive visualization of user data through a set of Java applets that interface with the Visualization Toolkit is presented, and its advantages and limitations are discussed. Such an implementation provides a general framework for providing high quality visualization resources on the WWW.

Abstract: We present a visualization technique that allows a user to identify and detect patterns and structures within a multivariate data set. Our research builds on previous efforts to represent multivariate data in a 2D information display through the use of icon plots. Although the icon plot work done by Pickett and Brinstein is similar to our approach, we improve on their efforts in several ways. Our technique allows analysis of a time series without using animation; promotes visual differentiation of information clusters based on measures of variance; and facilitates exploration through direct manipulation of geometry based on scales of variance. Our goal is to provide a visualization that implicitly conveys the degree to which an elements ordered collection of attributes varies from the prevailing pattern of attributes for other elements in the collection. We apply this technique to multivariate abstract data nd use it to locate exceptional elements in a data set and divisions among clusters.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.