VizThis: Rule-based Semantically Assisted Information Visualization
Abstract
Information Visualization can be considered as the task of mapping data
entities in the source file to representation artefacts in the target
visualization format. As such, mapping plays a significant role in this
process. The field of Ontology Mapping presents a wealth of work in the
information mapping domain which we propose to exploit by applying it
to Information Visualization for the Semantic Web. In this paper we
describe a User Interface and a tool (VizThis) which demonstrates the
proposed approach. We discuss the benefits which a mapping paradigm
brings to Information Visualization, including automaticity and rule
constraint. The system facilitates automatic mapping while still
allowing users the ability to tweak the chosen mappings in order to
improve the cognitive value of the visualizations. Additionally, the
mapping choices available are constrained by rules governed by the
characteristics of both the source and target format. A worked example
is provided together with the results of a qualitative user evaluation
of the resulting visualizations.
Last update: 2006-12-06
