Visual Information Seeking Research Articles

M-QuBE<sup>3</sup>: Querying Big Multilayer Graph by Evolutive Extraction and Exploration

Although node-link representations of graphs are widespread and even sometimes preferred to other approaches, they suffer from obvious limitations when graphs become large or dense, inducing visual cluttering and impeding the traditional visual information seeking process. This article presents a new strategy of exploration particularly suitable when graphs are large and dense. Users iteratively drive the exploration through the visualization of small sub-networks of interest. Our technique is particularly useful with multilayer networks, where layers typically combine into a large and dense network. Our iterative exploration process called M-QuBE 3 computes a score for each node of a graph based on structural and semantic information where more interesting nodes from a user point of view have higher scores. This in turn translates into a procedure to select sub-networks of interest. Within each sub-network, the user can select nodes to enhance the semantic context (and thus impact their interest score) and iteratively refine the exploration towards more relevant sub-networks. The M-QuBE 3 process natively handles multilayer network and allows the use of layers as a semantic apparatus when driving the navigation.

TimeTubes: Visual Exploration of Observed Blazar Datasets

Blazars are attractive objects for astronomers to observe in order to burrow into the magnetic field in the relativistic jet. This paper presents TimeTubes as a novel visualization scheme that allows astronomers to interactively explore characteristic temporal variation patterns in observed blazar datasets. In the TimeTubes spatialization, the two Stokes parameters and their errors with a common timestamp are transformed into an ellipse. A series of such ellipses are aligned in parallel along the timeline to form a 3D volumetric tube. The resulting tube is then colorized by the observed intensities and colors of the blazar, and finally volume-rendered. A designated user interface is provided with visual exploration functions according to Shneiderman’s Visual Information Seeking Mantra. In the latest version, an auxiliary mechanism, called visual data fusion, was incorporated to ameliorate data- and mapping-inherent uncertainties for more efficient and effective visual exploration.

Exploring the context of visual information seeking

PurposeInformation seeking is an interactive behaviour of the end users with information systems, which occurs in a real environment known as context. Context affects information-seeking behaviour in many different ways. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that potentially constitute the context of visual information seeking.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a Straussian version of grounded theory, a qualitative approach, to conduct the study. Using a purposive sampling method, 28 subjects participated in the study. The data were analysed using open, axial and selective coding in MAXQDA software.FindingsThe contextual factors influencing visual information seeking were classified into seven categories, including: “user characteristics”, “general search features”, “visual search features”, “display of results”, “accessibility of results”, “task type” and “environmental factors”.Practical/implicationsThis study contributes to a better understanding of how people conduct searches in and interact with visual search interfaces. Results have important implications for the designers of information retrieval systems.Originality/valueThis paper is among the pioneer studies investigating contextual factors influencing information seeking in visual information retrieval systems.

A pilot study of the information behaviors of web designers

ABSTRACTDespite their large contribution to the ability of individuals to access information, little is known about how those who build websites professionally interact with information in that context. As part of a research pilot study, several individuals involved in the professional design of websites were interviewed. The interviews used a semi‐structured instrument that had a sketching activity integrated within it. Preliminary results indicate a heavy reliance on visual information and social information seeking are reported.

Visual information seeking

The present study reports on the information seeking processes in a visual context, referred to throughout as visual information seeking. This study synthesizes research throughout different, yet complementary, areas, each capable of contributing findings and understanding to visual information seeking. Methods previously applied for examining the visual information seeking process are reviewed, including interactive experiments, surveys, and various qualitative approaches. The methods and resulting findings are presented and structured according to generalized phases of existing information seeking models, which include the needs, actions, and assessments of users. A review of visual information needs focuses on need and thus query formulation; user actions, as reviewed, centers on search and browse behaviors and the observed trends, concluded by a survey of users' assessments of visual information as part of the interactive process. This separate examination, specific to a visual context, is significant; visual information can influence outcomes in an interactive process and presents variations in the types of needs, tasks, considerations, and decisions of users, as compared to information seeking in other contexts.

New Designs for Multi-Criteria Ratings

인터넷을 통하여 많은 정보를 얻을 수 있게 되면서 제품의 구매 의사결정에 있어서 다른 사람의 제품 리뷰가 중요한 영향을 미치고 있다. 특히 최근 들어 많은 인터넷 상거래 사이트들이 제품에 대한 점수를 하나의 항목이 아닌 여러 항목별로 제공하고 있다. 예를 들어, 한 영화에 대해서 내용, 배우, 감독, 시각효과에 대해서 평가할 수 있다. 제품에 대한 자세한 정보는 사용자의 의사결정에 도움을 줄 수 있지만, 너무 많은 정보는 오히려 정보 과잉의 문제를 일으켜 주어진 정보를 효과적으로 활용할 수 없게 된다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 이러한 문제점을 극복할 수 있도록, Visual Information Seeking (VIS) 원리를 응용하여 항목별 점수(multi-criteria rating)를 보여주는 시각화된 인터페이스를 제안한다. 새로운 인터페이스는 사용자들이 직접 보고 싶은 정보를 선택할 수 있고 (interactive search) 검색결과를 시각적으로 보여준다. 실험을 통하여 텍스트 기반의 인터페이스와 비교한 결과, 새로운 디자인을 이용할 경우 검색 결과에 대한 사용자 만족도가 크게 향상됨을 확인하였다.

VisGets: Coordinated Visualizations for Web-based Information Exploration and Discovery

In common Web-based search interfaces, it can be difficult to formulate queries that simultaneously combine temporal, spatial, and topical data filters. We investigate how coordinated visualizations can enhance search and exploration of information on the World Wide Web by easing the formulation of these types of queries. Drawing from visual information seeking and exploratory search, we introduce VisGets--interactive query visualizations of Web-based information that operate with online information within a Web browser. VisGets provide the information seeker with visual overviews of Web resources and offer a way to visually filter the data. Our goal is to facilitate the construction of dynamic search queries that combine filters from more than one data dimension. We present a prototype information exploration system featuring three linked VisGets (temporal, spatial, and topical), and used it to visually explore news items from online RSS feeds.

SEE: a Spatial Exploration Environment based on a direct-manipulation paradigm

The need to provide effective tools for analyzing and querying spatial data is becoming increasingly important with the explosion of data in applications such as geographic information systems, image databases, CAD, and remote sensing. The SEE (Spatial Exploration Environment) is the first effort at applying direct-manipulation visual information seeking (VIS) techniques to spatial data analysis by visually querying as well as browsing spatial data and reviewing the visual results for trend analysis. The SEE system incorporates a visual query language (SVIQUEL) that allows users to specify the relative spatial position (both topology and direction) between objects using direct manipulation. The quantitative SVIQVEL sliders (S-sliders) are complemented by the qualitative active-picture-for-querying (APIQ) interface that allows the user to specify qualitative relative position queries. APIQ provides qualitative visual representations of the quantitative query specified by the S-sliders. This increases the utility of the system for spatial browsing and spatial trend discovery with no particular query in mind. The SVIQUEL queries are processed using a k-Bucket index structure specifically tuned for incremental processing of the multidimensional range queries that represent the class of queries that can be expressed by SVIQUEL. We have also designed a tightly integrated map visualization that helps to preserve the spatial context and a bar visualization that provides a qualitative abstraction of aggregates.

Music in the home: Interfaces for music appliances

The development of networked information appliances, combined with the proliferation of broadband Internet access and e-commerce, has the potential to greatly affect media consumption in the home. In this paper we consider the influence of these developments on a common domestic activity, finding and listening to music. After summarising the relative strengths and weaknesses of accessing music in physical and digital formats, we present a design concept which is intended to combine the advantages of the old and new media. In particular, we focus on the problem of visual information seeking within the context of music and touchable screen displays.

Previews and overviews in digital libraries: Designing surrogates to support visual information seeking

Previews and overviews in digital libraries: Designing surrogates to support visual information seeking

INSYDER : information retrieval aspects of a business intelligence system

This paper presents a visual information seeking system for the WWW called INSYDER 1 . The aim of INSYDER is to find business information from the WWW. Information seeking - especially an the Web - is an imprecise process. Information seekers often have only a fuzzy understanding of how they can get the information they want. This paper focuses on the use of information retrieval and visualisation techniques of the INSYDER system to support the user in extracting information from the WWW, namely in formulating queries, refining and reviewing results.

Previews and overviews in digital libraries: Designing surrogates to support visual information seeking

To aid designers of digital library interfaces, we present a framework for the design of information representations in terms of previews and overviews. Previews and overviews are graphic or textual representations of information abstracted from primary information objects. Previews act as surrogates for one or a few objects and overviews represent collections of objects. A design framework is elaborated in terms of the following three dimensions: (1) what information objects are available to users, (2) how information objects are related and displayed, and (3) how users can manipulate information objects. When utilized properly, previews and overviews allow users to rapidly discriminate objects of interest from those not of interest, and to more fully understand the scope and nature of digital libraries. This article presents a definition of previews and overviews in context, provides design guidelines, and describes four example applications.

Statistical dependency in visual scanning.

A method to identify statistical dependencies in the positions of eye fixations is developed and applied to eye movement data from subjects who viewed dynamic displays of air traffic and judged future relative position of air craft. Analysis of approximately 23 000 fixations on points of interest on the display identified statistical dependencies in scanning that were independent of the physical placement of the points of interest. Identification of these dependencies is inconsistent with random-sampling-based theories used to model visual search and information seeking.