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Introduction to the Information

Visualization course

Universidade de Aveiro

Departamento de Electrónica,

Telecomunicações e Informática

Information Visualization Beatriz Sousa Santos, 2017/2018

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Machine learning?

Visualization?

Statistics?

What is Visualization?

• Visualization is a field of Computing focused on how to visually

represent and explore large amounts of data

• Taking advantage of the human visual system capacities

• Providing “insights” concerning the phenomenon behind the data

What it is not:

• just “pretty pictures”!

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• “Is a method of Computing. It transforms the symbolic in the geometric,

enabling researchers to observe simulations and computations … providing scientific insight through visual methods”(McCormick et al., 1987)

• “Is concerned with exploring data and information graphically in such a way

as to gain understanding and insight into the data” (Brodlie et al., 1992)

• “Means the study, development and use of graphics representation and supporting techniques that facilitate the visual communication of knowledge” (Keller & Keller, 1993)

• Definitions

• What is Information Visualization (infoVis)?

• Its main characteristic is:

”use [...] computer-supported, interactive, visual representations of abstract

data to amplify cognition” (Card, 1999)

“The interdisciplinary study of the visual representation of large-scale collection of

non-numerical information, such as files and lines of code in software systems,

library and bibliographic databases, networks of relations on the internet, and so

forth.” (Friendly, 2008)

• Related field: Visual Analytics

“Detect the expected and discover the unexpected”

(Thomas, 2005)

analytical reasoning +

Visual representations and

interaction techniques

Thomas, J.J.; Cook, K.A.; , "A visual analytics agenda,“

Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE , vol.26, no.1, pp. 10- 13, Jan.-Feb. 2006

Keim, D., G. Andrienko, JD Fekete, et al., “Visual analytics, definition, process

and challenges”, Information Visualization, LNCS, Vol 4950, 2008, pp 154-175

http://www.visual-analytics.eu/faq/

This course:

- an introduction to: Computer Graphics

Data and Information Visualization

- Information Visualization

Course web page: http://sweet.ua.pt/bss/disciplinas/VI/VI-home.htm

all materials are available in Moodle

Outline:

Introduction to Data and Information Visualization

Introduction to Computer graphics:

- Geometric transformations (2D, 3D) and Visualization (2D, 3D)

- Introduction to visibility, illumination, surface rendering and color models

Information Visualization:

- Main issues

- Data and Design

- Representation

- Presentation

- Interaction

- Evaluation

Beatriz Sousa Santos + Paulo Dias

In Lab Classes we will use

• Three.js

• Visualization tools (Google Charts, D3, …)

Visualization Tools

• There are a lot, of different types and with different purposes

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(see e.g. http://selection.datavisualization.ch/)

Main Bibliography

• Spence, R., Information Visualization, An Introduction, Springer, 2014

• Munzner, T., Visualization Analysis and Design, A K Peters/CRC Press, 2014

• Kirk, A., Data Visualization : a successful design process, Packt Publishing, 2012

• Mazza, R., Introduction to Information Visualization, Springer, 2009

• Ware, C., Information Visualization, Perception to Design, 3nd ed.,Morgan Kaufmann, 2012

• Hearn, D., Pauline Baker, Computer Graphics with OpenGL, 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, 2004

Other Bibliography

• Bederson, B. , B. Shneiderman, The Craft of Information Visualization: Readings and Reflections, Morgan Kaufmann, 2003

• Card, S., J. Mackinlay, and B. Shneiderman, Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think, Morgan Kaufmann, 1999

• Tufte, E., The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Graphics Press, 1983

• Tufte, E., Envisioning Information, Graphics Press, 1990

• Friendly, M., "Milestones in the history of thematic cartography, statistical graphics, and data visualization“, 2008

• Foley, J., A. van Dam, S. Feiner, J. Hughes, R. Phillips, Introduction to Computer Graphics, Addison Wesley, 1993

• Few, S., “Data Visualization for Human Perception”. In: Soegaard, M. and Dam, R. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction, 2nd Ed. The Interaction Design Foundation

https://www.interaction-design.org/encyclopedia/data_visualization_for_human_perception.html

• Papers and sites

Sessions: Thursday – 14h-17h

(subject to minor adjustments)

1 (21/09/17) - Introduction to the course

1Lab (21/09/17) - Introduction to the lab classes and Visualization tools

2 (28/09/17) - Introduction to DataVis and InfoVis

2Lab (28/09/17) – Google Tool Charts

3 (12/10/17) – Introduction to CG

3Lab (12/10/17) – Introduction to Three.js

4 (19/10/17) - Introduction to CG (cont.)

4Lab (19/10/17) – Introduction to Three.js

5 (26/10/17) – Introduction to CG

5Lab (26/10/17) – Introduction to Three.js, 1rst assignment

6 (02/11/17) – Main issues in InfoVis

6Lab (02/11/17) - Introduction to Three.js, 1rst assignment

7 (09/11/17) – Representation: coding of value

7Lab (09/11/17) – Introduction to D3

8 (16/11/17) – Presentation of the 1rst assignment (Evaluation in Visualization)

8Lab (16/11/17) –Presentation of 1rst assignment (Introduction to D3)

9 (23/11/17) – Evaluation in Visualization (Representation: coding of relation)

9Lab (23/11/17) – Introduction to D3

10 (30/11/17) – Representation: coding of relation (presentation of the 1 assignment)

10Lab (30/11/17) – Introduction to D3, 2nd assignment (presentation of 1 assignment)

11 (7/2/17) – Presentation and Interaction

11Lab (7/12/17) – Introduction to D3, 2nd assignment

12 (14/12/17) – Presentation of the assignment on evaluation

12Lab (14/12/17) – Experiment on evaluation

Assessment

- exam – 40%

- 1rst programming assignment – 20% (three.js)

- 2nd programming assignment– 30% (D3)

- assignment on evaluation – 10%

Assignments

• 1rst programming assignment –Three.js

• 2nd programming assignment - D3, …

• Assignment on evaluation

Assignment on evaluation:

• Evaluation of an example using an analytical method

• Presentation of findings

• Participating in evaluation sessions

• Students who work must contact the lecturer during the two first weeks to

establish evaluation details

• Students profile?

• Any doubts, questions?

To probe further…

• Tufte, E., The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Graphics Press, 1983

• Tufte, E., Envisioning Information, Graphics Press, 1990

• Card, S., J. Mackinlay, and B. Shneiderman, Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think, Morgan Kaufmann, 1999

• Bederson, B. , B. Shneiderman, The Craft of Information Visualization: Readings and Reflections, Morgan Kaufmann, 2003

• Few, S., “Data Visualization for Human Perception”. In: Soegaard, M. and Dam, R. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction, 2nd Ed. The Interaction Design Foundation

https://www.interaction-design.org/encyclopedia/data_visualization_for_human_perception.html

• Keim, D., Rossi, F., Seidl, T., Verleysen, M., & Wrobel, S. Information Visualization, Visual Data Mining and Machine Learning (Dagstuhl Seminar 12081). Dagstuhl Reports, 2(2), 58–83., 2012.

• Heer, J., M. Bostock, M., & V. Ogievetsky,. “A tour through the visualization zoo”. Communications of the ACM, vol 53, no. 6, pp. 59-79, 2010.

• Papers and sites …

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To probe further

Scientific Journals/Conferences

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics

IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications

Computer Graphics Forum

Computers and Graphics

Information Visualization

IEEE Vis (http://ieeevis.org/)

Eurovis (http://eurovis2017.virvig.es/)

Information Visualization (http://www.graphicslink.co.uk/IV2017/)

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Interesting links

• http://www.infovis-wiki.net/

• http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/

• http://selection.datavisualization.ch/

• http://www.visualisingdata.com/

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On-line courses

Interactive 3D Graphics, by Eric Haines

https://www.udacity.com/course/interactive-3d-graphics--cs291

Data Visualization and D3.js

https://www.udacity.com/course/data-visualization-and-d3js--ud507