Information Visualization

Introduction

Marco Winckler
Université Côte d’Azur (Polytech Nice) | I3S | SPARKS team | bureau 453
[email protected]
http://www.i3s.unice.fr/~winckler/
Data, information and knowledge

• Data consists of raw symbols;

• - Information is data that is given meaning, providing answers to
‘who, what, where and when questions’;
• - Knowledge is the application of data and information; providing
answers to the ‘how questions’, giving context to the information;
• - Wisdom is the understanding of the knowledge, being integrated
and actionable.
• Rowley, J. (2007). The wisdom hierarchy: Representations of the
DIKW hierarchy. Journal of Information Science, 33(2), 163–180.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551506070706

2
‘Misleading’ with data visualization

• Example of a truncated y axis, where the increase in interest in (a)

seems quite large, whereas the actual increase (b) is almost
unnoticeable (graphs created in excel)

3
‘Misleading’ with data visualization

• Example of omitting data, where (a) shows the original data source,
and (b) shows half of the data of (a), creating a trend that cannot be
seen in (a) (graphs created in excel)

4
• A final example is the correlation – causation issue. Correlation does
not imply causation. Nevertheless, a correlation is often seen as a
causation, for example by internet articles with headers such as
“People drinking beer live longer; drinking beer is healthy!”.

5
 “Graphics reveal data”
• John Snow’s map of
water wells in
London (1854)

Tufte, Edward. The Visual Display

of Quantitative Information.
Cheshire, Graphics Press, 2001,
2nd edition
6
causality
 11.0 8.33 11.0 9.26 11.0 14.014.07.81 9.969.96 14.0
8.0 14.0 8.47 8.108.10 14.0
14.0 8.84 8.84 8.08.0 7.04 7.04
14.0 9.96 14.0 8.10 14.0 6.0 6.0
8.84 7.247.24
8.0 6.0
6.0 7.04 6.136.13 6.0 6.0 6.08 6.08 8.08.0 5.25 5.25
art et : Raw Dat a 6.0 Anscombe’s Quart et : Raw Dat a
7.24 6.0 6.13 6.0 4.04.0
6.08 4.264.26
8.0
I 4.0
4.0 I3.10
5.25 3.10I 4.0 I 5.39
4.0 I I 5.39 19.0
19.0 IV12.50
12.50
II I I I4.0 IV 12.0 10.84 12.0 9.13 12.0 8.15 8.0
4.26 4.0 3.10 4.0 12.0 5.39x10.84
19.0y12.0 x 9.13
12.50 y 12.0 x 8.15 y 8.0
x y5.56
5.56
y x y x y 9.13 12.0 7.0 7.0 4.82
4.82 7.0
7.0 7.26 7.0 6.42 8.0 7.91
12.0 10.84 12.0 8.15
10.0 8.08.04 10.0 7.26
5.56 9.147.010.0 6.42 7.46 8.0
8.0 7.91
6.58

8.14
Basics
9.14 10.0
8.0
7.46
7.0
6.77
5.0
8.0
4.82
8.0
5.68
6.58
7.0
5.76
5.0
7.26
4.74mean
mean
7.0 5.0
5.0 9.0
5.0
6.428.0
5.73
9.0 13.0
7.5
5.68
5.68
8.07.58
7.5
5.0
5.0
8.06.95
6.89
9.0
9.0 13.0 7.5
4.74
8.0 4.74
7.91 5.0
8.145.0
7.58.749.0
8.0 5.73
9.0
13.0 7.5
5.73
7.5
8.0
6.77 8.0
8.0
9.0
12.74 9.0
8.0
6.89
6.89
5.76
7.5
7.71
7.5
8.74 mean
13.0 12.74
9.0 8.0
7.5 7.71
9.0 7.5 var.
var.9.0 10.0
10.0 9.0
7.5 3.75 8.81
9.0 10.0
3.75 9.0
7.5 3.75
10.0 8.77
3.75 10.0 9.0
10.0 3.75 7.11 8.0
3.75 10.0
10.0 3.75 8.84
3.75
8.77 var.9.0 10.0 7.11 3.758.0 10.08.84 3.75corr.10.0
corr. 11.0
3.75
0.816
0.816 10.0 8.33 11.0
3.750.816
0.816 9.26 11.00.816
0.816 7.81 8.0 8.47
0.816
0.816
9.26 corr.
11.0 7.81
0.816 8.0 8.47
0.816 0.816 14.0 9.96
0.816 14.0 8.10 14.0 8.84 8.0 7.04
8.10 14.0 8.84 8.0 7.04 6.0 7.24 6.0 6.13 6.0 6.08 8.0 5.25
6.13 6.0 6.08 8.0 5.25 4.0 4.26 4.0 3.10 4.0 5.39 19.0 12.50
3.10 4.0 5.39 19.0 12.50 12.0 10.84 12.0 9.13 12.0 8.15 8.0 5.56
7.0 4.82 7.0 7.26 7.0 6.42 8.0 7.91
9.13 12.0 8.15 8.0 5.56
5.0 5.68 5.0 4.74 5.0 5.73 8.0 6.89
7.26 7.0 6.42 8.0 7.91 mean 9.0 7.5 9.0 7.5 9.0 7.5 9.0 7.5
4.74 5.0 5.73 8.0 6.89 var. 10.0 3.75 10.0 3.75 10.0 3.75 10.0 3.75
7.5 9.0 7.5 9.0 7.5 corr. 0.816 0.816 0.816 0.816
3.75 10.0 3.75 10.0 3.75
0.816 0.816 0.816

Anscombe, F.J. Graphs in Statistical Figure

Figure1.15.
1.15.Anscombe’s
Anscombe’sQuartet
Quartetis isfour
fourdatasets
datasetswith
withidentical
identicalsimple
simplestatistical
statistical
Figure 1.15.
Analysis. Anscombe’s
American Quartet
Statistician 27 (1973), Show
is fourproperties:
datasets with
mean,differences,
identical simple
variance, similarities
statistical
correlation, and linear and patterns
regression line. However,
properties: mean, variance, correlation, and linear regression line. However, visual
visual
properties: mean, variance, correlation, and linear regression line. However, visual 7
17–21 inspection
inspectionimmediately
immediatelyshows how
shows howtheir
theirstructures are
structures quite
are quitedifferent
different[Anscombe
[Anscombe 73].
73].
inspection immediately shows how their structures are quite different [Anscombe 73].
Adding complex data

Charles Joseph Minard’s map (1869)

1 mm = 6 mil people

8
Presentation of temporal data; facts and evidences
Communicating data

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo
9
 References
• Tamara Munzner. Visualization Analysis and
Design. AK Peters Visualization Series, CRC Press
(2014).
• Colin Ware. Information Visualization, Third
Edition: Perception for Design (Interactive
Technologies). Morgan Kaufmann. 536 pages
(2012)
• Scott Murray. Interactive Data Visualization for
the Web. O'Reilly Media. 273 pages (2013)
• Edward Tufte. The Visual Display of Quantitative
Information. 1983

10
Objectives:
• The goal is to present information visualization techniques and apply them to
solve problems related to the interaction with large datasets
• Understand the principles of information visualization
• Know the Schneiderman’s mantra of information visualization
• Know the main information visualization techniques
• Know the tools for dealing with information visualization
• Know the data structures used to visualize data
• Implement a pipeline for information visualization
• Interact and use different information visualization techniques
• Be able to reuse information visualization techniques available
• Be able to program basic information visualization techniques

11
Planning

• Contents:
• Introduction to information visualization
• Information visualization pipeline
• Information visualization techniques (ex. graphs, hierachies,
multidimensional data, …)
• Data processing
• Programming of information visualization techniques

12
Information visualization
x
Computer Graphics

13
The domain

Graphics pipeline

14
The domain

Graphics pipeline

Telea, A.C. Data Visualization – Principles and

Practice. Wellesley, MA: A K Peters, 2008
15
 The domain
• Visualization is the communication of information using graphical
representations (1).

(2)

(1) Ward, M., Grinstein, G e Keim, D. Interative Data (2) Ware, Colin. information Visualization – Perception for
Visualization – Foundations, Techniques and Design. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann, 2000 16
Applications. Wellesley, MA: A K Peters, 2010
 The domain

User interaction

Telea, A.C. Data Visualization – Principles and Practice.

Wellesley, MA: A K Peters, 2008

17
 Principles of data visualization

• Characterizing data
Scientific data: information
• User perception associates with
positions/regions of a space
• Users task and interaction (implicit or explicit geometry)

Abstract data: information

associated to an entity of an
Social application domain, not
graphs necessarily a spatial one

18

Trajectories
 Characterizing data
• Many classifications…

Keller e Keller (1994) Shneiderman (1996) Keim (2002)

• Scalar (or scalar fields • Unidimensional • Unidimensional
• Nominal • Bidirectional maps • Dimensional
• Direction • Tridimensional world • Multidimensional
• Shape • Temporal • Text and hypertext
• Position • Multidimensional • Hierarchy and graphs
• Region • Trees • Algorithms and software
• Networks Keim, Daniel Information Visualization and
Keller, P. e Keller, M. Visual Cues: Data Mining. IEEE Transactions on
Practical Data Visualization. IEEE Shneiderman, Ben The Eyes Have it: A Visualization and Graphics, 8:1(2002):1-8
Computer Society Press, 1994 Task by Data Type Taxonomy for
Information Visualization. 1996 IEEE
Symposium on Visual Language, pp336-
343
19
 Characterizing data
tables items
attributes

Networks Items (nodes)

and trees links
attributes

grids
Types of Type of data
fields positions
dataset attributes
ordered category
items,
geometry
dynamic attributes
quantitative ordinal (qualitative)
clusters,
static lists, items
sets attributes
20
Munzner, Tamara Visualization Analysis and Design. Boca Raton, FL:Taylor & Francis, 2014
 Characterization of data
Attributes
Type of data

• Basic types
ordered category
• Item (node)
• Attributes
• Edge/line quantitative ordinal (qualitative)
• Position
• Grid Semantic of data
Key/value
Independent/dependent
Value scalar, value vectorial, …
Temporal/non-temporal
spatial/non-spatial
Continuous/discrete
Munzner, Tamara Visualization Analysis and Design. Boca Raton, FL:Taylor & Francis, 2014
Exercise

• Find the data set and classify it by identifying

• Variable perceptive (ex. color, bright, etc)
• Class of data
• Nature and dimension of domain
• Type of dataset and type of data
23
 Perception: visual variables

Type of data

tables items
attributes

Networks Items (nodes)

and tress links
attributes

grids
Types of Type of data
fields positions
dataset attributes
ordered category
items,
geometry
dynamic attributes
quantitative ordinal (qualitative)
clusters,
static lists, items Numeric, quantitative or ordered
sets attributes Categories (items in a enumeration)
24
Munzner, Tamara Visualization Analysis and Design. Boca Raton, FL:Taylor & Francis, 2014
Principles of data visualization

• Characterizing data
Process by which we
• User perception interpret what is around
• Users task and interaction us to create a mental
representation of
insight evidences
Data recognize, organiza
and interpret
sensorial
mapping mapping-1 information

Visualization

25
Model of
Human processing
• Perceptive (every sense)
• Cognitive (memory + processing)
• Motor (movements, ex. Fitts’ law)

Card, S.K; Moran, T. P; and Newell, A. The Model Human Processor: An

Engineering Model of Human Performance. In K. R. Boff, L. Kaufman, & J. P.
Thomas (Eds.), Handbook of Perception and Human Performance. Vol. 2:
Cognitive Processes and Performance, 1986, pages 1–35.
14
Perceptive system

• Representation non interpreted of inputs

• Information persistency = 200 ms for the visual memory,
1500 ms for the auditory memory
• Capacity of storage
• type of information
(physique, symbolic, ...) Short term memory
• temps de cycle 100 ms It is the letter P
(dépend de l'intensité)
Cognitive filter

P Non
Visual memory recognized
T = 100 ms graphics
27
 Motor system
• Movements are not continuous pas a repetition of discreet micro-
movements
• The movement corresponds to user interaction with physical devices
• Time of micro-movement : 70 ms (cycle base of motor system)
• Time of selection of a graphical element: T = I.log 2D/L with D :
distance, W : size of the target, I = 0,1 sec. (Fitts’ law 1954)
L

• • • •
X0 X1 X2 target

Paul M. Fitts (1954). The information capacity of the human motor system in
controlling the amplitude of movement. Journal of Experimental Psychology,
volume 47, number 6, June 1954, pp. 381–391. (Reprinted in Journal of
Experimental Psychology: General, 121(3):262–269, 1992) 28
Example

29
facts about knowledge of perception

• We do not attend to everything that we see, logically since

awareness of everything that we see would overwhelm us. In
visualizations we should therefore strive to let meaningful
information stand out in contrast to what’s not worth our attention.
• Our eyes are drawn to familiar patterns; we see what we know and
expect. Information visualization should therefore also be rooted in
an understanding of how people think.
• Working memory plays an important role in human cognition but is
extremely limited. We only remember the elements to which we
attend. Information visualizations should therefore serve as an
external aid to augment working memory.

Few, S. (2009). Now You See It: Simple

Visualization Techniques for Quantitative
Analysis (1st ed.). Analytics Press.
30
Perception

31
Perception

32
Perception

33
Gestalt principles of perception

• The gestalt psychology tries to understand the ability to acquire and

maintain perceptions in an apparently chaotic world.
• The central idea is to view information as a whole rather than the
sum of its parts.
• Applying gestalt principles on the design of information visualizations
has a positive effect on the understandability.
• The key ideas of the gestalt psychology are the principles of
emergence, reification, multi-stability and invariance.

34
The principle of emergence

• addresses the process where humans usually first identify the whole
and then the parts

Example of Emergence, where the dog

can only be seen by looking at the image
as a whole (source: thatbrandguy.com)

35
The principle of reification

• addresses the aspect of perception in which the objects are

perceived to have more spatial information than what is actually
present; human perception seems to fill in the gaps.

Example of Reification, where a sphere can

clearly be seen in the centre, even though there
is none (source: study.com)

36
The principle of multi-stability

• describes the tendency of ambiguous perceptual experiences to

switch between alternative interpretations, not being able to see two
interpretations at once in an effort to avoid visual uncertainty.

Example of Multi-stability,
where the cube can be
seen in two ways (source:
geoff-hart.com)

37
The principle of invariance

• addresses the fact that similar and different objects can be identified
independent of the scale, rotation or translation.

Example of Invariance, where similar

objects can be identified even though the
orientations are very different. (source:
cns-alumni.bu.edu)

38
Laws of the gestalt psychology in relation to
information visualization
• Law of Similarity: Items that are similar
are grouped together by the brain

• Law of Pragnanz: People will perceive and

interpret ambiguous or complex images
as the simplest form(s) possible.

• Law of Proximity: objects that are close

are grouped together

39
Laws of the gestalt psychology in relation to
information visualization (cont.)
• Law of Continuity: lines are seen
as following the smoothest path.

• Law of Closure: objects that are

grouped together are seen as a
whole, and the mind is filling the
missing information.

• Law of uniform connectedness:

items that are visually connected
are perceived as more related.

40
Laws of the gestalt psychology in relation to
information visualization (cont.)
• Law of common regions: Elements that
are located in the same closed region are
perceived as part of a group.

• Law of focal points: Elements with a point

of interest, emphasis or difference will
capture and hold the viewer’s attention.

• Law of past experiences: elements can be

perceived according to an observer’s past
experience. Most of the times this is very
subjective, but humans also have a lot of
past experiences in common, as the
familiar colours red, orange and green
from for example a traffic light..
41
Perception: visual variables

• Position
• Shape
• Size
• Bright
• Color
• Orientation
• Texture
• Movement

42
Perception: visual variables

• Position
• Shape
• Size
• Bright
• Color
• Orientation
• Texture
• Movement

43
Perception: visual variables

• Position
• Shape
• Size
• Bright
• Color
• Orientation
• Texture
• Movement

44
Principles of data visualization

• Characterizing data User interaction

• User perception • Changing the scene
• Selection
• Users task and interaction • Navigation
• Reordering/reorganizing
• Changing visual coding
• Latency
• Feedback
• Costs
• Time and user attention

45
Interaction gulfs (according to D. Norman, 1986)

goal
goal
goal
Execution gulf is the effort

Semantic
Intention comparison
distance

Semantic
Semantic
Intention
Intention comparison
comparison
distance
distance

required for a user to express

ofof
of
inputs

outputs
inputs

an intention in terms of
inputs

outputs
outputs
distance
Semantic

meaning of meaning of

distance
distance
Semantic

meaning
meaning of meaning
meaningof commands or instructions
Semantic

of of

Evaluation
ofof

inputs outputs

Evaluationgulf
gulf
of

inputs
inputs outputs
outputs
Executiongulf

Evaluation gulf refers to the

detailed way the results provided by
Execution

detailed
detailed interpretation
action plan interpretation
interpretation the system are meaningful or
action
action plan
plan
understandable by the users,
Articulatory
distance

Articulatory
Articulatory
way to and in accordance with their
distance
distance

gulf
how to way
way to
to
present
ofof

how
how to
to present
present goals
of
inputs

execute
outputs

results
inputs
inputs

execute
outputs

execute
outputs

results
results
Articulatory
Articulatory
Articulatory

distance
distance
ofof

distance
of

execution perception
execution
execution perception
perception

46
system
system
system
User tasks (for visualization)

Keller e Keller (1994) Shneiderman (1996)

• Identify • Overview
• Locate • “Zoom”
• Distinguish • Filter
• Categorize • Details on demand
• Cluster • Relate
• Order • History
• Compare • Export (data)
• Associate Shneiderman, Ben The Eyes Have it: A Task by Data
Type Taxonomy for Information Visualization. 1996
• Correlate IEEE Symposium on Visual Language, pp336-343

Keller, P. e Keller, M. Visual Cues: Practical

Data Visualization. IEEE Computer Society
Press, 1994
47
User tasks (for visualization)
Low level analytical tasks
• Wehrend and Lewis, 1990
• Search value
• Springmeyer, 1990
• Filter dados
• Shneiderman, 1996
• Compute value
• Zhou and Feiner, 1998
• Find limits
• Morse et al., 2000
• Classify
• Amar and Stasko, 2004
• Determine range
• Amar et al., 2005
• Characterize distribution
• Valiati et al., 2006
• Find annomalies
• “Cluster”
• Correlate

48
Exemple of techniques

49
Data characterization
 Standard visualization model

data rendering task

“tables” Visual views
Raw data
of data structures

Data transformation Visual mapping View transformation

User interaction

Ward, M., Grinstein, G. and Keim, Daniel Interactive Data

Visualization. Natick, MA: A.K. Peters Ltd. 2010
 Pipeline of data acquisition

Raw data Data Data of models evaluation

warehouse interests

Data selection, filtering, Data mining

cleanning grouping, ...

task

Ward, M., Grinstein, G. and Keim, Daniel Interactive Data

Visualization. Natick, MA: A.K. Peters Ltd. 2010
 Pipeline of data acquisition

Purpose of the visualization

Raw data
• to explore ofData
data sets Data of models evaluation
warehouse interests
• to confirm
Data
hypothesis
selection, filtering, Data mining
cleanning grouping, ...
• to present data

task

Ward, M., Grinstein, G. and Keim, Daniel Interactive Data

Visualization. Natick, MA: A.K. Peters Ltd. 2010
 Pipeline of data acquisition

DATA

Raw data Data Data of models evaluation

warehouse interests

Data selection, filtering, Data mining

cleanning grouping, ...

task

Ward, M., Grinstein, G. and Keim, Daniel Interactive Data

Visualization. Natick, MA: A.K. Peters Ltd. 2010
 Principles
• Characterizing data Scientific data: information
associates with positions/regions
• User perception of a space (implicit or explicit
• Users task and interaction geometry)

Abstract data: information

associated to an entity of an
application domain, not
SCI - Univ. of Utah necessarily a spatial one

http://www.jasondavies.com/parallel-sets/
 Data characterization
• Many classifications…

Keller e Keller (1994)

• Scalar (or scalar fields)
• Nominal
• Direction
• Shape
• Position
• Region

Scalar fields: map of size of waves

Keller, P. e Keller, M. Visual Cues: Practical Data (tsunami of 11.03.2012)
Visualization. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1994
 Data characterization
• Many classifications…

Keller e Keller (1994)

• Scalar (or scalar fields)
• Nominal
• Direction
• Shape
• Position
• Region

Keller, P. e Keller, M. Visual Cues: Practical Data Nominal data: type of rocks
Visualization. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1994
 Data characterization

• Many classifications…

Keller e Keller (1994)

• Scalar (or scalar fields)
• Nominal
• Direction
• Shape
• Position
• Region

Keller, P. e Keller, M. Visual Cues: Practical Data Vectorial fields of speed (color)
Visualization. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1994 http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~matt/courses/cs563/talks/flowvis/flowvis.html
 Data characterization
Shneiderman (1996)

• Unidimensional
• Bidirectional maps
• Tridimensional world
• Temporal
• Multidimensional
• Trees
• Networks

Unidirectional and temporal data

Shneiderman, Ben The Eyes Have it: A Task by Data Type

Taxonomy for Information Visualization. 1996 IEEE Guedes, L. et al. Interactive Timeline Visualization of
Symposium on Visual Language, pp336-343 Documents. SIBGRAPI 2014, Works in Progress (poster).
 Data characterization
Shneiderman (1996)

• Unidimensional
• Bidirectional maps
• Tridimensional world
• Temporal
• Multidimensional
• Trees
• Networks

Shneiderman, Ben The Eyes Have it: A Task by Data Type

Taxonomy for Information Visualization. 1996 IEEE Multidimensional data
Symposium on Visual Language, pp336-343
 Data characterization
Shneiderman (1996)

• Unidimensional
• Bidirectional maps
• Tridimensional world
• Temporal
• Multidimensional
• Trees
• Networks

Shneiderman, Ben The Eyes Have it: A Task by Data Type

Taxonomy for Information Visualization. 1996 IEEE
Network of co-authorship (Spritzer e Freitas 2012)
Symposium on Visual Language, pp336-343
 Data characterization

Keim (2002)
• Unidimensional
• Dimensional
• Multidimensional
• Text and hypertext
• Hierarchy and graphs
• Algorithms and software Seesoft

Unidimensional data, Software

Keim, Daniel Information Visualization and Data

Mining. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Eick, S.G., Steffen, J.L., Sumner, Jr., E.E.: Seesoft-a tool for visualizing line oriented
Graphics, 8:1(2002):1-8 software statistics. IEEE Trans. Softw. Eng. 18, 957–968 (November 1992)
Data characterization

• Classes of data
• Type of data
• Nature of the domain
• Dimension of the domain
Classes of data

• Data = characteristics of an entity

• example: entity = car
• Information about cars
1. Mpg (miles per gallon): continuous
2. cylinders: multi-valued discrete
3. displacement: continuous = total air displaced by the pistons in all of an engine's cylinders
and is expressed in liters, cubic centimeters or cubic inches
4. horsepower: continuous
5. weight: continuous
6. acceleration: continuous
7. model year: multi-valued discrete
8. origin: multi-valued discrete
9. car name: string (unique for each instance)
Matrix of scatterplots
Parallel coordinates

• https://syntagmatic.github.io/parallel-coordinates/
Classes of data

• Data = scalar size

• entity = region in the space
• example: physical mesures in spatial positions
• Temperature
• Pression
• Each data correspond to a scalar value of a funcion in a point
• Scalar field
 Scalar size

Material density of oil well perforation in the sea (Binotto et al., 2003)
Classes of data

• Data = vectorial size

• Entity = region in the space
• example: physical measures of statial positions
• Wind flow (magnitude, direction, orientation)
• Every data correspon to a vectorial value of a function in a point
• Vectorial point
 Vectorial size

(VTk)
Stream ribbons:
3D representation showing
the “form” of the flow
Geovis-UFRGS (1998)

The colors of the arrows represent wind

speed
Classes of data

• Data = relationship
• link
• hierarquia

http://www.smartmoney.com/marketmap/
https://finviz.com/map.ashx
http://www.bewitched.com/marketmap.html

http://bost.ocks.org/mike/miserables
Characterization of data

• Classes of data
• Type of data data
• Nature of the domain
• Dimension of the domain
Type of dados

• Quantitative
• Categories
• Ordered

• Relations
Type of data x classes of data data

• Characteristics
• Numeric, quantitative or
ordered
• Categories (items in a
enumeration)

Type of rocks associated to a region

Type of movie (represented by symbol): Spotfire
category represented by color
Type of data (scalar)
• Scalar dimension, vectorial,
tensor
• Numeric, quantitative

Campo escalar
(UFRGS – Pinto e Freitas, 2006)
 Type of data (scalar)
atmospheric pressure, temperature and magnitude of wind speed
(UFRGS – Pinto e Freitas, 2007)

Basso e Freitas 1998

Type of data (vectorial)

Data produced with IBM Visualization Data

Explorer, from Ward (1999)
http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~matt/courses/cs563/talk
s/flowvis/flowvis.html
Type of data (tensor)

Vilanova 2010: tutorial “Tensors in Visualization”, VisWeek 2010

Type of data (relationship)
• 2007 UFRGS Informatics Institute
publications
• 474 Nodes
• Professors, students and external
collaborators
• 1252 Edges
• Proceedings, journals and books

Spritzer and Freitas (2012)

Characterization of data

• Classes of data
• Type of data
• Nature of domain
• Dimension of domain
 Nature of domain

• Discret • Each “glyph” represents a flower

• Set of entities in the set
• Each entity corresponds to a
“point” in the sample of the space
• Example: Iris dataset
1. sepal length in cm
2. sepal width in cm
3. petal length in cm
4. petal width in cm
5. class: Iris Setosa, Iris Versicolour,
Iris Virginica

http://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/datasets/Iris
 Nature of domain
• Continous
• Example
• weather

http://tweetping.net/#
 Nature of domain
• Continous-discret
Characterization of data

• Classes of data
• Types of data
• Nature of domain
• Dimension of domain
Dimension of domain

• 1D
• Temporal informaiton (ex. Historical facts)
• 2D
• Data associated to flat regions (ex. maps)
• 3D
• Data associated with region in the space (volumes)
• Multidimensional
• Tabular data
 Dados 1D
• Text
• Temporam imformation

• Example:
• Seesoft
• Temporal information
indicated by color
 Dados 2D
• Information associated with
positions, regions in a map
Representation of the space (2D ou 3D)

cartesian regular

curbe
rectangular points unstructured
Dados 2D/3D

Ellson, R.; Cox, D. Visualization of injection molding. Simulation, 1988, 51:184-188

Dados 3D

regular

Dansity values of tissues are

associated with point
distributed in a 3D space

VolView (www.kitware.com)
Representation of space (2D ou 3D)

points

Geovis-UFRGS (1998)
Representation of space (2D ou 3D)

curbe

Flow simulation
(VTk)
 Dimension of domain ?
• Hierarchy
• Ex. file system
• Network
• Ex. Web site, communication network, social networks
• Collection of documents
• Ex. digital libraries
• Collection of entities in a database
• Ex; archive of people’s file
Data nD

• Table
• Attributes associated to isolated entinties
• Trees
• Entities with hierarquical relationship
• Graps
• Entities with multiple relationships
Table: each attribute is a dimension

Parallel coordinates
(Inselberg)
trees

97
graphs

98
 Approach “what-why-how”
• It is a way to analyze visualization
techniques using three questions:
What? • What (data)
• Which data are represented
• Why (user task)
• Why users are using the visualization
Why? technique
• How (infovis technique)
• Which are the visual codification and
which are the interaction techniques
How? implemented

Munzner, Tamara Visualization Analysis and Design. Boca Raton, FL:Taylor & Francis, 2014