User-centered visual explorer of in-process comparison in spatiotemporal space.

Area of Science:

• Data Visualization
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Geospatial Analysis

Background:

• Analyzing complex spatiotemporal data requires effective visualization tools.
• Existing methods often struggle with concurrent comparison of multiple data units.
• Cognitive load can be a significant barrier in data exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a user-centered visual explorer (UcVE) for progressive comparison of multiple visualization units in spatiotemporal data.
• To enhance user cognition by providing tools for visualizing, saving, and tracking exploration results.
• To facilitate concurrent comparison of historical and current exploration data.

Main Methods:

• Developed a unique unit visualization employing a flower burst metaphor with customizable aggregated views.
• Encoded visualization units with abstractions of spatiotemporal properties.
• Integrated storage sequence and block tracking views for efficient data management.
• Implemented a flexible geo-based layout with aggregation functions and temporal event timelines.

Main Results:

• UcVE enables concurrent comparison of multiple visualization units, reducing cognitive load.
• The system supports flexible exploration through geo-based layouts and temporal views.
• Demonstrated usefulness with COVID-19 datasets, case studies, and expert feedback.

Conclusions:

• UcVE offers an effective approach for user-centered spatiotemporal data exploration and comparison.
• The system's design facilitates efficient analysis of complex datasets.
• The flower burst visualization metaphor and integrated tracking enhance user exploration capabilities.