Combining Digital and Traditional Visualisation Techniques in Community-Based Planning and Design

Public participation is a key component in environmental planning and design. Yet too often, architects and planners are not equipped with effective tools and visualisation techniques to generate meaningful public input. Architects and planners are increasingly turning to computer technology; computer imaging can be used to support exploration of alternatives by enabling community members to visualise opportunities and scenarios before committing to a course of action (McClure, 1997). This paper explains how a Geographic Information System (GIS) and an artist played critical roles in a participatory planning process in Chicago's Pilsen neighbourhood. The GIS provided community leaders, planners, architects and designers with an interactive visualisation of the neighbourhood context. It also provided examples of design prototypes in relation to their geographic context. The artist, on the other hand, translated neighbourhood residents' ideas into quick sketches, merging their ideas and thoughts into a shared neighbourhood vision. Both of these elements – the GIS and the human artist – provided a means for residents to visualise past, present, and future neighbourhood conditions, enabling them to have a greater voice in the design of their neighbourhood. Our findings suggest that effective visualisation may be achieved through combining traditional and computerised visualisation tools, and that effective visualisation could assist in bridging the gap between professional designers and non-designers.     

Age and domain specific usability analysis of opinion visualisation techniques

This study analysed the impact of age and domain knowledge on the usability of some of the state-of-the-art opinion visualisation techniques. A questionnaire survey was designed to ask the users’ level of agreement or disagreement about the selected opinion visualisation techniques against a set of information visualisation metrics. The data were collected by conducting seminars and using a web-based online questionnaire. We categorised participants (N?=?146) into three age groups (≤20 years: teenager; 21–30 years: young adults; >30: adults). According to domain knowledge, participants are classified into two groups, one having knowledge of human computer interaction (HCI users) and the other without this knowledge (non-HCI users). The collected data were analysed using an independent sample t-test and analysis of variance. It is concluded that there are significant differences between the perception of HCI and non-HCI users on visual appeal, understandability, user friendliness, intuitiveness, informativeness, usefulness, comprehensiveness, comparison ability, and pre-knowledge requirement. Moreover, age was found to be significant for visual appeal, comprehensiveness, intuitiveness, and pre-knowledge requirement.     

Multimodal fusion of biomedical data at different temporal and dimensional scales

The introduction of integrative approaches to biomedical research (integrative biology, physiome, Virtual Physiological Human, etc.) poses original problems to computer aided medicine: the need to operate with large amounts of data that are strongly heterogeneous in structure, format and even in the knowledge domain that generated them; the need to integrate all of these data into a coherent whole; the further complication imposed by the fact that more and more frequently these data are captured at very different dimensional and/or temporal scales. The present study describes a first attempt at providing an interactive visualisation environment for homogeneous biomedical data defined over radically different spatial or temporal scales. In particular, we describe new strategies for the management of the dimensional information of highly heterogeneous data types; the management of temporal multiscaling; for 3D unstructured spatial multiscale visualisation and the related interaction paradigms and user interface. Preliminary results with a prototype implementation based on the OpenMAF application framework (http://www.openmaf.org) indicate that it is possible to develop effective environments for interactive visualisation of multiscale biomedical data.     

Language visualisation: Applications and theoretical foundations of a primitive-based approach

Language visualisation consists of using consistent and systematic mappings between language expressions and graphical forms, where the graphical forms constitute or convey the meaning of the expressions. Primitive-based applications are described for both natural and artificial language (story visualisation and program visualisation, respectively). On the basis of these and other applications some foundational concepts are identified in a bottom-up theory of visualisation. A universal visualisation system architecture is proposed, as is a basic visual object taxonomy for classifying any visualisation object. Also, preliminary steps are taken towards constructing a top-down theory.     

Multidimensional visualisation for process historical data analysis: a comparative study with multivariate statistical process control

This paper describes a comparative study of a multidimensional visualisation technique and multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) for process historical data analysis. The visualisation technique uses parallel coordinates which visualise multidimensional data using two dimensional presentations and allow identification of clusters and outliers, therefore, can be used to detect abnormal events. The study is based on a database covering 527 days of operation of an industrial wastewater treatment plant. It was found that both the visualisation technique and MSPC based on T² chart captured the same 17 days as “clearly abnormal” and another eight days as “likely abnormal”. Pattern recognition using K-means clustering was also applied to the same data in literature and was found to have identified 14 out of the 17 “clearly abnormal” days.     

Rural landscape visualisation from GIS databases: a comparison of approaches,options and problems

As public participation in environmental decision-making becomes more prevalent, there is a growing need to communicate effectively with a non-expert audience. Visual presentation has been identified as an effective means of communicating landscape-related information, particularly due to the increasing ease with which computer visualisation techniques can utilise GIS data. Such data are already widely used when assessing environmental and landscape issues, and there are several different ways in which visualisations may be produced; this paper sets out a typology encompassing the most popular techniques, and, using a common GIS database, proceeds to assesses a number of different visualisation software packages. Three primary issues are considered: data needs; ease of use; and quality of output. Examples of visualisations produced in each software package are provided for comparison.     

Two methods for cloud visualisation from weather simulation data

For the local TV presentation of weather forecast data, it is important to have high-quality and fast visualisation of clouds. In this paper, I present methods for the visualisation of clouds from data produced by a meteorological weather simulation. Isosurfaces, which are originally too coarse because of the data grid resolution, are refined and deformed. The resulting geometry is used for cloud visualisation.     

Examining interpersonal trust as a facilitator and uncertainty as an inhibitor of intra‐organisational knowledge sharing

This study developed a theoretical model to explore the antecedents of interpersonal trust and the impact of interpersonal trust and uncertainty on intra‐organisational knowledge sharing in highly information‐technology‐mediated work environments. The proposed model was tested empirically using survey data collected from five telecommunication companies. The findings reveal that interpersonal trust has a positive effect on knowledge sharing, while uncertainty has a negative effect upon knowledge sharing. The results also show that social interaction ties and shared knowledge‐sharing vision are the antecedent factors of interpersonal trust, and that uncertainty regarding knowledge sharing is increased by seeker absorptive capability concerns, reciprocity concerns and fear of losing knowledge power. Some important implications for theory and practice as well as directions for future study are discussed.     

The State of the Art in Flow Visualisation: Feature Extraction and Tracking

Flow visualisation is an attractive topic in data visualisation, offering great challenges for research. Very large data sets must be processed, consisting of multivariate data at large numbers of grid points, often arranged in many time steps. Recently, the steadily increasing performance of computers again has become a driving force for new advances in flow visualisation, especially in techniques based on texturing, feature extraction, vector field clustering, and topology extraction. In this article we present the state of the art in feature‐based flow visualisation techniques. We will present numerous feature extraction techniques, categorised according to the type of feature. Next, feature tracking and event detection algorithms are discussed, for studying the evolution of features in time‐dependent data sets. Finally, various visualisation techniques are demonstrated. ACM CSS: I.3.8 Computer Graphics—applications     

基于WebGL技术的某升船机塔柱结构仿真可视化平台研究

在数字化技术应用于水利水电工程的大背景下,为在某升船机塔柱结构某升船机数字化升级项目中实现智慧化模拟,完善可视化和数据交互能力,研发一个结构仿真可视化平台。平台采用WebGL技术,在网页端对有限元网格模型进行重绘;提供云图及变形动画渲染功能用于展示前、后处理数据;研究有限元数据处理、模型面片和云图渲染优化技术,用于高效渲染。平台在某升船机数字化项目中得到了良好应用,可视化功能可用于常用结构分析,并基于平台接口开发监测对比功能,提高运行管理单位对结构安全的分析水平。相关技术可用于其他水利水电工程结构的仿真可视化平台当中。     

Description of dynamic shared knowledge: an exploratory study during a competitive team sports interaction

This exploratory case study describes the sharedness of knowledge within a basketball team (nine players) and how it changes during an official match. To determine how knowledge is mobilised in an actual game situation, the data were collected and processed following course-of-action theory (Theureau 2003). The results were used to characterise the contents of the shared knowledge (i.e. regarding teammate characteristics, team functioning, opponent characteristics, opposing team functioning and game conditions) and to identify the characteristic types of change: (a) the reinforcement of a previous element of shared knowledge; (b) the invalidation of an element of shared knowledge; (c) fragmentation of an element of shared knowledge; (d) the creation of a new element of shared knowledge. The discussion deals with the diverse types of change in shared knowledge and the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of common ground within the team. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The present case study focused on how the cognitions of individual members of a team coordinate to produce a team performance (e.g. surgical teams in hospitals, military teams) and how the shared knowledge changes during team activity. Traditional methods to increase knowledge sharedness can be enhanced by making use of 'opportunities for coordination' to optimise team adaptiveness.     

A Manifesto for Hypermedia Usability Research

Following a brief introductory review of existing findings, we discuss key aspects of hypermedia usability in the light of the differences, and similarities, between the design of hypermedia applications and that of more conventional user interfaces. Conversational interaction, techniques for visualisation of structure, considerations of relevance and importance, and the provision of selective views of knowledge bases are all considered. We then focus on the role of analogy and of dynamism in hypermedia interface design, with particular emphasis on the advantages and pitfalls of using metaphor. The concluding section summarises our manifesto for future hypermedia usability research.     

Towards insight-driven sampling for big data visualisation

ABSTRACT

Creating an interactive, accurate, and low-latency big data visualisation is challenging due to the volume, variety, and velocity of the data. Visualisation options range from visualising the entire big dataset, which could take a long time and be taxing to the system, to visualising a small subset of the dataset, which could be fast and less taxing to the system but could also lead to a less-beneficial visualisation as a result of information loss. The main research questions investigated by this work are what effect sampling has on visualisation insight and how to provide guidance to users in navigating this trade-off. To investigate these issues, we study an initial case of simple estimation tasks on histogram visualisations of sampled big data, in hopes that these results may generalise. Leveraging sampling, we generate subsets of large datasets and create visualisations for a crowd-sourced study involving a simple cognitive visualisation task. Using the results of this study, we quantify insight, sampling, visualisation, and perception error in comparison to the full dataset. We use these results to model the relationship between sample size and insight error, and we propose the use of our model to guide big data visualisation sampling.     

The process of global knowledge integration: a case study of a multinational investment bank's Y2K program

In this paper we examine the phenomenon of Y2K as an example of cross-functional knowledge integration. We start with the observation that although an enormous amount of investment was made for year 2000 (Y2K) readiness, a smooth millennium rollover has ended with widespread debates about the worthiness of the investment. These debates not only reflect a common perception that the Y2K investment has been a waste of money, but also indicate that organisations often fail to learn from what they have done in the past in order to prepare for future actions. A case study of a multinational investment bank's Y2K program was conducted to analyse its main features and conceptualise the underlying cross-functional knowledge integration process. Based on our findings, we identified the following as the main processes involved in knowledge integration: (1) the penetration of different boundaries to obtain required knowledge and support; (2) the expansion of different paradigms to achieve shared understanding; (3) the reconfiguration of organisational memory to create new organisational routines and knowledge.     

Exploring multiple trees through DAG representations

We present a Directed Acyclic Graph visualisation designed to allow interaction with a set of multiple classification trees, specifically to find overlaps and differences between groups of trees and individual trees. The work is motivated by the need to find a representation for multiple trees that has the space-saving property of a general graph representation and the intuitive parent-child direction cues present in individual representation of trees. Using example taxonomic data sets, we describe augmentations to the common barycenter DAG layout method that reveal shared sets of child nodes between common parents in a clearer manner. Other interactions such as displaying the multiple ancestor paths of a node when it occurs in several trees, and revealing intersecting sibling sets within the context of a single DAG representation are also discussed.     

Transactional blackboards

Using the blackboard architecture, an expert system is built as a collection of knowledge sources which are scheduled by a controller and communicate through a shared data region, called a blackboard. The performance of such a system may be significantly enhanced by the concurrent execution of the knowledge sources. However, introduction of concurrent execution into blackboard systems requires extension of the architecture with new mechanisms for scheduling knowledge source activities, synchronizing knowledge source interactions, and accessing shared data. This paper describes our design for transaction-based facilities supporting parallel execution of knowledge sources in a blackboard system.     

Integration of manufacturing services into virtual environments over the internet

Virtual reality (VR) is a rapidly developing technology that has a wide spectrum of industrial and commercial applications. Networked (distributed or shared) virtual environments (VE) are of growing interest to modern manufacturing industry; a dominating use of networked virtual manufacturing environments (VMEs) is on-line visualisation and collaborative control of 3D information. This has to be supported by real-time data transfer. To meet a broad range of common requirements for Internet-based VE communications, particularly for virtual manufacturing and collaborative design and control, this paper presents a networked virtual environment system that is designed to support networked virtual design and manufacturing. The system is implemented with manufacturing message specification (MMS) standards so as to integrate a range of manufacturing services into networked VEs over the Internet.     

Visualising user–website interaction: description and evaluation of a teaching method

This paper presents a teaching method applied in a usability research course that is part of a bachelor degree programme at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. The method employs visualisation techniques of the user–website interaction, a design practice popular in other fields, but less often used in usability studies. The theoretical background of the data visualisation method, as well as examples of its use in research, are presented and discussed in this paper. In addition to presenting the method, the paper evaluates and analyses how students have responded to it. Using the technology acceptance model, we identified the perceived usability of the method as the main factor influencing students’ behavioural intention to use it in the future.