Visualization tools are an essential part of how many users work with complex data. However, many of the tasks in a broad range of domains require comparing complex objects (graphs, volumes, time series, molecular motions, etc.), and while there exist a wealth of tools for visualizing individual objects there is little support at present for comparing two or more of them. The PI argues that the visual comparison of complex objects is best handled with visualization tools and techniques specifically designed for that purpose, but the design of such tools is challenging as it adds new issues to the more general visualization problems, and the challenges increase as the visualization tasks scale to larger or more complex objects, or to comparisons among larger numbers of objects. While there are examples of comparative visualization tools, existing solutions are highly specialized; they provide only limited help in developing new tools, or in understanding the more general problem of comparative visualization.
In this exploratory project, the PI will take the first steps toward development of a science of comparative visualization. He will develop comparative visualization systems as case studies, providing insights into the more general problem as well as testbeds for new techniques and evaluation. He will develop a concept framework of visual comparison to codify ideas and principles, and he will develop new techniques that address issues common in comparative visualizations. Specific techniques the PI intends to develop include cartographic principles for informative display in 3D, mechanisms for the static depiction of complex motions, generalized applications of registration, interactive and automated view controls for juxtaposed displays, and generalized methods for data abstraction. These techniques are all motivated by general needs in comparative visualizations, and build upon prior technical developments and visual principles.
Broader Impacts: By providing a general analysis of the issues involved, along with principles and guidelines for the design of visualization tools, a taxonomy and catalog of known solutions, and new techniques to address common problems, a science of comparative visualization will allow developers to create better, and possibly more general, tools, which will impact a wide range of disciplines in science, engineering, and medicine.
