A continuous analysis process between desktop and collaborative visual analytics environments

Abstract

Since its inception, the field of visual analytics has undergone tremendous growth in understanding how to create interactive visual tools to solve analytical problems. However, with few exceptions, most of these tools have been designed for single users in desktop environments. While often effective on their own, most single-user systems do not reflect the collaborative nature of solving real-world analytical tasks. Many intelligence analysts, for example, have been observed to switch repeatedly between working alone and collaborating with members of a small team. In this paper, we propose that a complete visual analytical system designed for solving real-world tasks ought to have two integrated components: a single-user desktop system and a mirroring system suitable for a collaborative environment.