時空間的動向情報の探索的分析を支援するインタラクティブな情報可視化システム

抄録

This paper proposes an interactive information visualization system that supports exploratory data analysis of spatiotemporal trend information. A trend generally means a general direction in which a situation is changing / developing. Recent growth of computer and network systems has enabled us to obtain trend information at less cost, and it becomes important how to utilize such information. Exploratory data analysis is one of necessary activities of users to utilize trend information, in which users examine data space from various viewpoints using various views, notice interesting trend, and find interpretation useful for decision making or problem solving. As exploratory data analysis essentially involves trial and error, an interactive information visualization system that supports users' exploratory analysis of trend information should encourage users' trial and error. In order to design such systems, adequate interaction model that covers various actions to data space is necessary. In this paper, the visualization cube is proposed as abstract data model of spatiotemporal trend information, based on which interaction model for exploratory data analysis of spatiotemporal trend information is defined. The visualization cube consists of 4 axes; spatial and temporal axes, statistical data axis, and type-of-views axis. Interactions for generating views are defined as the operations on the visualization cube, which include drill down / up, comparison, spin, and transition. The interactive information visualization system for spatiotemporal trend information is developed based on the concept of visualization cube. Experiment is performed to compare the operating time between users with / without experience of using the system. The result shows the operations of the system based on the proposed interaction model are easy to understand without training. The system was also used in actual classes of an elementary school, of which the result shows the system has enough usability for 5th-grade elementary school children to perform exploratory data analysis.