Information Visualization

Trajectories, Traces and Tools for Augmenting Human

Intelligence

Dr. Ray UzwyshynUniversity of Miami Digital Libraries

Egyptian Amanuensis: ThothScribe

Weblog

Information Visualization and the Scientific Method

Sumerian Catalog (2000 B.C.)

Technology: Baked Clay Tablet, Hammer

Problem Solved : Limitation of Human Memory

Innovation: Visually Iconic Script

New Problem: Information Retrieval, Medium storage – The Bricks are heavy

New Technology, Medium Possibility, Historical Dialectic

Technology: Papyrus, rolled into scrolls, placed in Libraries, lightweight

Innovation: reduced character set - Alphabet

Kata + Logos(list of words)

Technology: Augments Human Intelligence Solves Problem of Previous Technology, Generates New Problem horizon Kuhn’s Paradigm Shift: Isn’t the

clay tablet enough? Problem of previous infrastructures (skillsets, experts)

MetadataList of Scrolls

1st Information Renaissance

• Gutenberg (Mechanical Reproduction, Moveable Type, 1452)

Technology: Printed Book

Solves Problem: Dissemination (Copies, Copyists)

Information explosion creates new knowledge, infrastructures, new problem sets: retrieval, organizing relationships between bodies of Information Augmenting Human Intelligence

Flashforward, 1876-1985 Information Design Systemization

• System Wide Classification of expanding Universe of Knowledge

Melvil Dewey: Dewey Decimal Classification System (1876)Origin of Species (Darwin, 1860)Age of hierarchical tree Taxonomies, systems

• Library of Congress Printed Cards (1901)Metadata Containers become Large

Problem: Unseen/Fluid Interdisciplinary Relationships among Larger Bibliographic Universe is Lost

1960 - 1980’s Automating 19th Century Innovation

• Microfiche: Card Catalogue on Microfiche, then CD-ROM.

•Innovation: Reduction Entire Printed card catalog (cabinets) to a small machine space

New Problem Set - Lost Larger Context, Non-linear searching

• Remapping 19th Century Innovation onto 21st Century Technology

1990’s - Present Academic OPAC Catalog & Google: Current Large

Scale Information Retrieval Models

Partially solves Linear A- Z analog Search either scanning microfiche or cards, infinite copiesProblem Creates Infinite Scrolling List Syndrome. Not Scalable, How Do Entities Relate

Lost Context of Larger Information Universe

Where do we go from here? Information Visualization offers possibilities

Command Line InterfaceInfinite Scrolling List ParadigmLiteral

GUI : Working on the level of Iconic abstraction: metaphor, narrative, icons used as cognitive tools or pointers

Semantic Relationships Visually Semiotic Relationships

Possibilities of Screenspace

•Icon harnessed as Cognitive Tool or Visual Metaphor. (Computer/Information Science getting handle on this)

Framing or Environmental Metaphors (Desktop or Interface Level Metaphor – not as well established discourse or thought out implementations)

Xerox Parc’s Web Forager, 3D Office,

Information Workspace( circa. 1995)

Context and Future of Information Visualization 21th C. Culture

Visual Culture

Principal Cultural Codes

Visuals Grammars and Codes that we understand from early age

(Transparent, Ubiquitous)

Television Cinema

Predicated on movement, intuitive narrative, metaphor, humanly understandable, well developed and ‘constructed sets of visuals grammars

Paradigm Shift of Framing Metaphors (Cognitive Ecologies)

Non-linear motive codes of cinema/tv can also create

interactive robust information universes.

Move from Browser Page Metaphor to Stage or Screen

Metaphor.

Information landscapes for navigating bodies of knowledge

to augment intelligence, see larger relationships and create

new knowledge.

Navigating “Information

“Universe” by scrolling (remnant)

Navigating Information Universe by

Fly – Through (Iconic remnnant)

Motion, Narratology, Interactivity Harnessed as Information Visualization Tools, for large bodies of Information (data)

1st Phase Study of Visual Grammars, Visual Narrative Codes, Art History, Bertin (Geography) Tufte (Mathematical Statistics)

Overlooked bodies of theoretical literature, Cinema Studies: Structural/Formalist studies of Codes of Movement in Time. Visual Semiotics, (Eisentstein, Bazin, Christian Metz – Structural Visual Grammar)

•

The Next Cognitive Toys or Philosophical Toolsets for Information Science

AugmentingCognition

Data

Information Visualization: Larger Purposes Visually Augment Human Intelligence to Facilitate New

Knowledge Generation

BackendRelationalDatabase

MiddlewareInfinite StoragePotential,Memory Front End

Interface

Human User

Information Visualization(HCI)

Global NetworkedPotential of Internet

•Interactivity + Robust Backend Database Information + Online Connectivity + Theoretically thought out and Visually Iconic Motive Interfaces

Visual Cognitive Cartographies

• ASIST SIG VIS Websitehttp://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGVIS

Keywords subject headings mapped to motive

interactive 3d Space

3D Typographic Fly Through or 3D Cognitive Map.

Previously Unseen Subject Relationships in Same

Visual Space

Future: The trick is to begin thinking about mapping taxonomies visually (i.e. navigating the entire set of LCSH or an entire Robust Academic

Library Catalog)

Visualization and Multimedia

http://balseros.miami.eduPhysical/Cognitive Cartographies

Multimedia Digital Library - Zoomable Interface (1800 Mg Map) – Front End

Digital Video, Document and Image Library - Database Back end.

Zoomable Fly-Through Intuitive Navigation

Context Preserved (Upper Left)/ Humanly Intuitive

Map

New Visual Interface Possibilities

Link to Image and Video Library Databases

Emergent Possibilities• 3D Online networked Game

Engine paradigm mapped to robust information seeking (academic/e-commerce) possibilities (Information Foraging, hunter/gatherer metaphor for seeking information in large systems)

Possibilities are rich.Visual grammars and codes largely unexplored

Where has Innovation Been Historically Accomplished? Left Brain School of Info. Visualization

Math/computer/information science Ph.D’s Military Technology InnovatorsMedical Researchers (Gene Sequencing)GIS/Spatial Engineers

‘Serious’ Purposes: Information Mapping, Organizing Large bodies of information visually, relationally, dynamically. Historically high cost of entry (Computer Power, Warnock & Sutherland in Utah)

Right Brain School of Information Visualization

(The Low End or Historically Recent Barbarians at the Gates)

Web Designers (Flash Group, Online Vector Animation tied with Robust Programming Backend) Online Game Designers Graphic Designers (Advertising Catalogs/Database Synthesis)Innovative Usual Suspects (Parc, Maryland, MIT Media Lab)

(Renegade creators interested in Cognitive Cartography, Information Mapping, Information Architecture coming to this intuitively and out of necessity not aware of historical legacy but immersed in techno zeitgeist: games, comics, cinema codes, cool factor)

Lens, Telescope, Microscope, Screen

Information Visualization

Digital Renaissance Horizons Largely Unexplored

• Where is the new innovation to occur regarding Information Visualization or new solutions surrounding Visualizing large amounts of information?

• Transgressing/Bridging Boundaries/ Borders, marrying high and low, right and left

Info. Science Paradigms + Game EnginesSerious Purpose + Entertainment Innovation Visual Creativity + Mathematics

Need for Synthetic Renaissance Ideology (Discussion, Implementation/Praxis)

The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new technological landscapes but

in learning to see with new eyes.

ProustRemembrance of Things Past

Brief Information Visualization Bibliography - Books

Chen, Chaomei. Information Visualization and Virtual Environments. New York: Springer, 1999. (also, other texts )

Shneiderman, Ben. Card, Stuart K., Mackinlay, Jock D. Readings in Information Visualization. San Francisco: Moran Kaufmann, 1999. (also, other texts)

Spence, Robert. Information Visualization. ACM Press, 2000.

Websites – Links to Working Applications and Current R&D

• Human Computer Interaction Laboratory (Shneiderman et al., College Park Maryland)http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/ (click Visualization)

Flashforward http://www.flashforward2003.com (Click on past winners for excellent examples)

MIT Media Lab, In particular John Maeda’s Aesthetics and Computation/Visual Language Groups) http://acg.media.mit.edu/ and http://plw.media.mit.edu

Xerox Parc Research Group http://www.parc.xerox.com/research

A Few R&D Developers

• Jared Tarbell http://levitated.netEric Natzke http://www.natzke.comYugo Nakamura http://www.yugop.comJoshua Davis http://www.joshuadavis.com

• Finally, my more informal weblog: horizons of visualization/digital library explorations: http://libprod.library.miami.edu:41430/webservices

Presentation Available Online• http://www.library.miami.edu/infoVisualization.ppt

• Handout available at front

• Thank You For Coming!

Contact Info: Dr. Ray Uzwyshyn, ruzwyshyn@miami.eduUniversity of Miami Digital Library Initiativeshttp://members.aol.com/rayuwish(786)281-2824.