Snap-Together Visualization

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Project Description:

Information visualizations with multiple coordinated views enable users to rapidly explore complex data and discover relationships. However, it is usually difficult for users to find or create the coordinated visualizations they need. Snap-Together Visualization allows users to coordinate visualizations to create multiple-view interfaces that are customized to their needs. Users query their relational database and load results into desired visualizations. Then they specify coordinations between visualizations for selecting, navigating, or re-querying. Developers can make independent visualization tools 'snap-able' by including a few simple hooks.

Participants:

Chris North, Graduate Student Computer Science
Ben Shneiderman, Professor Computer Science
Anna Fredrikson, visiting Graduate Student, Chalmers University of Technology
Gunjan Dang, Graduate Student Computer Science
Manav Kher, Graduate Student Computer Science

Papers:

North, C., "A User Interface for Coordinating Visualizations based on Relational Schemata: Snap-Together Visualization", University of Maryland Computer Science Dept. Doctoral Dissertation, (May 2000).
Some individual portions:
North, C., Shneiderman, B., "Snap-Together Visualization: Can Users Construct and Operate Coordinated Views?", University of Maryland Computer Science Dept., (2000). [Postscript only]
North, C., Shneiderman, B., "Snap-Together Visualization: A User Interface for Coordinating Visualizations via Relational Schemata", Proc. Advanced Visual Interfaces 2000, (May 2000).
Fredrikson, A., North, C., Plaisant, C., Shneiderman, B., "Temporal, Geographical and Categorical Aggregations Viewed through Coordinated Displays: a Case Study with Highway Incident Data", Proc. ACM CIKM '99 Workshop on New Paradigms in Information Visualization and Manipulation, (1999).
North, C., Shneiderman, B., "Snap-Together Visualization: Evaluating Coordination Usage and Construction", University of Maryland Computer Science Dept. Technical Report #CS-TR-4075, (1999).
Fredrikson, A., "Temporal, Geographical and Categorical Aggregations Viewed through Coordinated Displays: A Case Study with Highway Incident Data", University of Maryland Computer Science Dept., (August 1999).
North, C., Shneiderman, B., "Snap-Together Visualization: Coordinating Multiple Views to Explore Information", University of Maryland Computer Science Dept. Technical Report #CS-TR-4020, (1999).
North, C., Shneiderman, B., "A Taxonomy of Multiple-Window Coordination", University of Maryland Computer Science Dept. Technical Report #CS-TR-3854, (1997).
North, C., "Generalized, Robust, End-User Programmable, Multiple-Window Coordination", Research Proposal, University of Maryland Computer Science Dept, (1997). [Postscript]
North, C., "Robust, End-User Programmable, Multiple-Window Coordination", Proc. ACM CHI'98 Conference, (1998).
North, C., Shneiderman, B., "LinkKit: 2D and 3D Image Browsing with Multiple-Window Coordination", University of Maryland Computer Science Dept, (1998).

Videos:

1999 HCIL Video Report, Snap-Together Visualization.
1998 HCIL Video Report, LinKit: Tight Coupling for Flexible Mutiple-Window Coordination.

Support:

This research has been partially supported by funding from an NSF grant, WestGroup, the US Census Bureau, Maryland State Highway Administration, Spotfire AB, and Microsoft.

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