« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »
August 22, 2006
An interview with...Moritz Stefaner
Today we reached the number of 10 interviews,
and we are going to read what Moritz Stefaner, a master student in Interface Design Porgram at FH Potsdam thinks.
1 - When, how and why have you decided to research on infovis ?
The kickstart for my interest in interactive media must have been the Coldcut "Let us play CD-ROM released in 1997. I was fascinated by the interplay of video, sound and graphic elements and the original, playful interaction. Quickly I got familiar with the work of Hexstatic, Tomato and others. At that time I was mainly interested in the narrative and playful elements of media and interaction aspects. After working a few years in the web industry, I noticed that it was getting harder to buildinteresting, useful and innovative applications in this purely commercial and advertisement-heavy context, so I decided to study Cognitive Science in order to get into HCI and interface design research projects.
Being a true "interface man with interests in design, code and human factors, interactive visualization turned out to be a great field of study in which I could bring all my interests and skills together. Over the last four years, I have been researching on information visualization and related topics, such as information design, personal knowledge management, statistics, machine learning, theories and psychology of perception, linguistics, philosophy etc.
What I like most about information visualization is the clash of the personal and the abstract, the technical and the aesthetic, the subjective and the objective. Theres some many perspectives you can have on these topics that I am convinced it will keep me busy and interested for quite some while.
2 - Which is, to you, the most interesting project you have worked on and why ?
Of course, the current projects are always the most interesting ones 
(See q.3) In the past, I guess, the ASADO project was the most challenging and the one I learned most in. It was a study project at the University of Osnabrück. On behalf of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, we developed methods to structure large amounts of archived documents automatically.
The topics we were working on were terminology extraction, ontologies, clustering, cluster labeling and meta-data and similarity-based search. I learned a lot about statistics, formal knowledge representation, machine learning and interface design in that project. Additionally, it was very interesting to meet the knowledge management and engineering staff and get a glimpse on the complexity of processes in large corporations.
We developed a whole system for automatic document clustering, labeling and mapping within the project, but never managed to apply it to other domains as well, so there is no real public demo at the moment, which is a pity. But if you are interested: parts of my work are described in my B.Sc. Thesis about document mapping techniques (http://der-mo.net/DocumentMaps/Thesis_Stefaner_DocumentMaps.pdf).
3 - On what themes are you working now ?
Currently, I am working on my Masters thesis at the Interface Design programme at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam. My supervisor is Boris Müller (http://esono.com). The thesis will be about visual strategies to manage the flow of microcontent (mainly via RSS) and how tagging can be used in this context to store, modify and communicate information. I am developing temporal visualizations, automatic layout mechanisms for microcontent and interface solutions for creating and refining tagging and information flow structures.
Besides that, I am still working on my Relation Browser (http://der-mo.net/relationBrowser/), which has gone open source and which has created a lot of interest already.
Plus: Starting in September, I will be coordinating the interface design in the 3-year research project MACE funded by the EU (eContentPlus programme). In the project, we will develop and deploy visual strategies for meta-data based information retrieval and content inter-connection in the field of architecture in Europe.
4 - If you should suggest an education programme to a student interested in InfoVis, which University Course do you suggest him/her ?
There is lots of ways to get into InfoVis. Usually, people have a background in either psychology/HCI, computer science, interface design or information sciences and then discover their interests in the other topics to finally arrive at information visualization as a unifying discipline.
For me, doing a Bachelor in Cognitive Science and now studying Interface Design has been the perfect combination. For others, a different path might be the best. As a general strategy, getting proficient in one of the involved areas and working from there can never be a bad move. And be prepared that these new and interdisciplinary fields take ages to master, since everything is still unsettled - but thats also part of the fun I guess
5 - How do you think infovis researches will evolve in your country for next years ?
Information visualization and information design are definitely going to gain momentum over the next years and I think this will be no different in Germany.
Places to watch include my home base - the University of Applied Sciences in Postdam (http://interface.fh-potsdam.de, http://incom.org), the University of Konstanz (http://infovis.uni-konstanz.de/), but also companies like Schoenerwissen (http://www.sw.ofcd.com/) and people like Boris Müller (http://esono.com).
Currently, the biggest challenge in my eyes is not to come up with yet another innovative way to visualize abstract structures, but make visualizations work for the people. There are so many really interesting prototypes and ideas out there - how can we actually integrate them into every day information interaction?
http://www.mentegrafica.it/blog/?p=123
Share:
Posted by InfoVis at 5:10 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2006
Some more newsmap
All you knows the famous NewsMap, a flash based application that use TreeMap technology to represent Google news.
After a long time, there is a new web based application for news reading ( the name is still "NewsMap ) that is based on Ajax and RSS technology.
Some more info:
NewsKnowledge and The Hive Group have joined forces to bring you News Maps, visual maps of the NewsIsFree headline database.
News Maps allow to quickly scan dozens of news articles and instantly understand whats being reported all over the world.
Each square in the News Map is an article and its possible to obtain additional details simply moving the mouse over it or read the whole article clicking on it
News headlines are organized by source and size and color information indicate article age and popularity.
News could also be filtered and rearranged in order to meet certain criteria, or that contain certain text.
The NewsMap is also based on the "Popularity Newsrank Concept, that means that the algorithm takes into account a variety of anonymous data collected by it:
- Ranking of clicks on stories from this news source
- Ranking of subscriptions to this news source
- How popular is a news headlines (Ranking of its clicks against a click band)
- How many Weblogs refer to this headline
What I could say ?
Web based infovis solutions are growing up...
Ideas, infoVis / information visualization / infoviz, Projects, resources, rias / Rich Internet Applications, User Experience, User Interfaceshttp://www.mentegrafica.it/blog/?p=122
Share:
Posted by InfoVis at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)
MAKEzine: Physical Computing
Sometime is quite and almost strange how things change and tranform.
Somedayes ago I wanted to have a look at what Phil Torrone is doing nowadays...
He is on of the authors of one of the ealrier books about the chanches of FlashUserEperience opportunities
( Im talking of the interesting Flash Enabled ).
It was extremelly suprising that now is senior editor of MAKE, a cool onLine magazine published by OReilly Media, that focuses on new way of user interaction with digital media.
In most cases it offers the opportunity to have a deep sight into the fascinating world of Physical computing.
A lot of resources and projects selected by MAKE.com are really interesting, like:
- a robo-cockroach
- a LEGO-infovis movies project
- a cool Peristence of Vision project
- a new way of represents old videogames
- LEGO vending machine
You could also have a look to instructables.com, that is an online collaborative platform about suggestions and projects related to what I talked above.
Have fun !
Ideas, infoVis / information visualization / infoviz, Profiles, Projects, resources, rias / Rich Internet Applications, User Experience, User Interfaceshttp://www.mentegrafica.it/blog/?p=121
Share:
Posted by InfoVis at 8:07 AM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2006
2006 infovis competition !
This post is just to remind to all of you interested in taking part to infovis competitions, that on September, 20 there will be the deadline for the submission of the project for the Visualization Contest - Census 2000, that is about to design infovis solution to visualize US Census Data.
I think it should be a stimulating challenge, because data are really complex and, more over, related also with geografical information.
I dont know if some google maps mashup could represents an approach to new infovis solutions for that...
Well see
http://www.mentegrafica.it/blog/?p=120
Share:
Posted by InfoVis at 9:36 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2006
An interview with...John Stasko
In the middle of this nice August, Im really glad to host the Johns words and thoguts about infovis.
John is a Professor Assoc. Chair, Division of Interactive and Intelligent Computing at the College of Computing at Georgia Tech.
1 - When, how and why have you decided to research on infovis ?
My doctoral thesis work was in the area of Software Visualization (softvis) which is a subdomain of infovis, so I was working in this area as early as the 1980s. For about 8 years after completing my degree and starting as a professor (1989), I worked primarily on softvis. Around that time I just became interested in more general issues with visualizing abstract data sets and I broadened the set of projects being worked on in my lab. I had always been interested in problems involving computer graphics and user interfaces, and I enjoyed playing with sports statistics as a kid. So infovis is kind of a natural fit for me.
When we (Georgia Tech) changed from quarters to semesters around 2000, we instituted a new set of courses.
I added a graduate course on infovis and teaching it has truly helped foster my interest in this area.
2 - Which is, to you, the most interesting project you have worked on and why ?
Its difficult to pick just one or two projects. For the last few years I have worked on a project called the InfoCanvas (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/ii/infoart) which is somewhat infovis-related, but not in the classic sense of an analysis system for large data sets. The InfoCanvas is a kind of electronic painting in which the objects in the scene change position, appearance, color or size to indicate the state of information that a person may care about. For instance, a bird in the sky may fly high when the stock market is up and low when it is down, or the number of apples on a window sill may indicate what tomorrows high temperature will roughly be. We put a picture frame around an LCD display to simulate an interactive painting. A key point is that the person running and using an InfoCanvas can choose what information is to be presented and how to present it.
Another project that I have enjoyed is a visualization technique called SunBurst (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/ii/sunburst) that uses a circular, space-filling depiction to represent hierarchical information structures. Im a big fan of treemaps as visualizations for this kind of data, and SunBurst provides an alternative depiction that I feel can be useful when one really wants to see the structure of the information hierarchy. We developed some interesting animated interactions to allow viewers to focus on particular pieces of the hierarchy.
3 - On what themes are you working now ?
Lately I have been involved in some more reflective projects in infovis that examine and question infovis systems utility for different types of tasks. I see far too many "solutions in search of problems in this area, visualization techniques that may be technical achievements but also seem to have little utility and application. I think we need to argue more rigorously on why visualization techniques and systems can be and are useful. An important step in doing this is to build a better understanding of the analytic and exploratory processes that people undertake. Where and how can infovis systems assist them?
Accompanying these efforts, I have been working on a project in the area of visual analytics, which is closely related to infovis.
Jim Thomas of Pacific NW National Labs in the U.S. has popularized this term and it involves an even closer examination of the analytic processes people undertake when assisted by visualization tools and systems.
4 - If you should suggest an education programme to a student interested in InfoVis, which University Course do you suggest him/her?
I think a strong interdisciplinary background would be ideal for students interested in this area. Seek out schools that offer such programs.
I would start with a strong base in computer science including computer graphics, human-computer interaction, and data bases or data management.
From there, courses in graphic design, art, and aesthetics would be invaluable. Furthermore, courses in experimental design and psychology can be helpful for assessing the utility and usability of systems. Perhaps most directly, a number of faculty who do research in infovis now offer courses on the topic, so students can learn about the area firsthand.
5 - How do you think infovis researches will evolve in your country for next years ?
I have a hunch that were beginning to be tapped out in terms of new and innovative visual representations. It is very difficult to come up with a new visualization that no one has seen before and that is truly useful. I think a lot of the innovation to come will be on the interaction side, how we make visualizations more interactive and more able to show multiple aspects of data.
I think it will be interesting to see if current infovis research techniques make their way into more commercial tools and systems.
We need to make the techniques very easy to use and understand in order for this to happen. On the other hand, I see the need for infovis systems that can handle massive, heterogeneous data sets. Here, the infovis systems may be so complex that users will have to undergo extensive training to learn how to use them, but once users are familiar, the system will enable much richer analysis and exploratory activities.
http://www.mentegrafica.it/blog/?p=119
Share:
Posted by InfoVis at 6:10 PM | Comments (0)
August 9, 2006
When maps are usefull games...
This is post number 100 and I thought was a nice idea to offer, to blog readers, an interesting game that moves from some googlemap mashup...
I can only say: "Have a nice trip
http://www.mentegrafica.it/blog/?p=117
Share:
Posted by InfoVis at 9:36 AM | Comments (0)
August 5, 2006
An interview with...Stephen Few
Today,
we could read the words on infovis by Stephen Few from perceptual edge, that also wrote 2 fantastic and interesting books on infovis, targeting to a broader audience than others.
But...start to have a look to what Steve answered
1. When, how and why have you decided to research on InfoVis?
I’ve worked in the field of business intelligence for many years, but have always had interests in design, communication, and critical thinking. Several years ago I attended a seminar by Edward Tufte, with little advance knowledge of what I should expect. I was so inspired by Tufte’s ideas and the potential of data visualization, the seeds were planted on that day that would eventually grow into a shift in my work to an exclusive focus on data visualization. As a data visualization consultant, teacher, and writer, I am able to combine my experience in business intelligence with my interests in design, communication, and critical thinking, to produce practical business solutions.
In late 2002, after searching for resources that could be used to teach a team of business intelligence analysts, which I managed at the time, I couldn’t find any books that taught the fundamentals of visual data communication in a way that was practical for and understandable to business people. Eventually, I decided that writing a book to address this need was a contribution that I could make to the field. The result was Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten, published in 2004.
2. Which is, to you, the most interesting project you have worked on and why?
Writing my two books, Show Me the Numbers and Information Dashboard Design, were both engaging projects. Writing books and developing courses are activities that force me to embrace a topic intimately, exploring every inch of it like a lover. For me, this is the surest path to expertise.
3. On what themes are you working now?
I’ve been collecting, investigating, and organizing material for a third book, which I will soon begin writing. This one will be about visual data analysis. Just as Show Me the Numbers teaches people the simple, basic principles and skills needed to communicate quantitative business information in tables and graphs, this new book will teach the simple, basic skills needed to make sense of business information using visual analysis techniques.
The greatest potential for data visualization lives in its ability to assist us in thinking about information in an effort to understand it. Viewing and interacting with information visually can uniquely and powerfully augment our ability to detect the points of interest that reside in it as well as our ability to uncover what they mean. The vast majority of people in business who are responsible for making sense of data have never been trained in this process, and even those who have studied statistical and financial analysis have seldom been trained in the fundamental skills of visual data analysis. With a little instruction and the right tools, business people could be gleaning much greater value from their information assets.
4. Which university programs would you recommend to a student who is interested in InfoVis?
Even though I am aware of many programs, I am only really familiar with the InfoVis programs at a few universities. My short course in the MBA program at the University of California, Berkeley offers advanced business students an introduction to the practical tools and techniques of InfoVis. Also at Berkeley, Marti Hearst and Maneesh Agrawala offer more extensive courses that provide students in computer science and other areas of information studies broad surveys of the field. Pat Hanrahan at Stanford University offers a good course in the Computer Science Department. Ben Bederson and Ben Shneiderman at the University of Maryland lead one of the most extensive and productive programs in the United States. These are the university programs that I know best, but several others exist, and I’m sure that many are quite good.
One of the challenges facing university programs is that of bridging the gap between academic research and practical application. Many fine student projects have produced valuable InfoVis technologies that have never been developed into viable commercial software. To bridge this gap, students need to focus on the practical application of their research and seek to thoroughly understand the needs of a target audience of potential users. Students who can do this will not only pave the way for commercial success (given the required business acumen), but will also contribute something useful to the world. I hate to see fine work growing dusty on the shelves, untouched. Let’s learn to take the next step to put it in the hands of people who are desperate for good data analysis and communication tools.
5. How do you think InfoVis research will evolve in your country for the next few years?
I don’t have a clear sense of what will actually happen, but I do have a clear vision of what I would like to see happen and what I am working to encourage. As I mentioned above, I hope that practical applications will increasingly guide InfoVis research. I also hope that those involved in this research and development will take the time to become grounded in an understanding of visual perception. I’ve seen many research projects that produced results that simple didn’t work, because they didn’t display information in a way that mapped to the capabilities of visual perception. I’ve also seen many research projects that were a waste of time because what they produced wasn’t useful for anything, which should have been obvious from the start.
Information visualization has tremendous potential for helping us understand the world and thereby work to make a better world. There are plenty of real needs that could be addressed if researchers would simply focus on these needs and take the time to understand them well enough to create viable solutions.
http://www.mentegrafica.it/blog/?p=116
Share:
Posted by InfoVis at 6:28 PM | Comments (0)
