A screenshot of a directable interface visualization powered by the GVA algorithm in action.
Emergency incident response is evolving from a response involving humans with equipment to a response system combining humans and thinking machines (e.g. robots). The robots and other sensors will generate and capture volumes of information that will be presented in geographic map-based directable visualizations. This project involved presented a novel approach to performing information abstraction (i.e., selection and grouping) and determining how each information item should be presented (i.e., its shape) in direct-able visualizations for the emergency incident response. This new approach employs the General Visualization Abstraction (GVA) algorithm to make salient and direct attention to the most relevant information items by determining an importance value for each information item based on the item’s relationship with two classes of information: historically and currently relevant information, and novel and emerging information.
The evaluation results were statistically supportive, indicating that, in most cases, the GVA algorithm improved performance, lowered workload, and increased situational awareness. The implication to interface visualizations from these results is that the general approach behind the GVA algorithm (i.e., the grouping, filtering, and displaying of an information item based on an evaluation of its historical and currently relevant and novel and emerging properties) is not only possible but advantageous in directable visualizations.
Related Papers:
Humphrey, C. M., & Adams, J. A. (2009). General Visualization Abstraction Algorithm for Geographic Map-Based Human-Robot Interfaces. In Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE international conference on Human robot interaction (pp. 289-290). La Jolla, California, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1514095.1514180.
Humphrey, C. M., & Adams, J. A. (2009). General Visualization Abstraction Algorithm for Geographic Map-Based Directable Interfaces: Results. Manuscript in preparation.
Related posts:
- Ph.D. Thesis: Information Abstraction Visualization for Human-Robot Interaction
- Addressing Information Sharing in Directable Interfaces via DIARE Concept
- Visualization for Effectively Co-located GIS Map Items
- Designing a System of User Interfaces for Controlling Robots for Emergency Incident Response
- Visualization of Multiple Robots During Team Activities