- Infovis - infovis.org

software and book announcement NodeXL
by Shneiderman, Ben 04 Nov '10

04 Nov '10

Dear InfoVis Colleagues, Below is our announcement of the NodeXL software and new book... best wishes... Ben Shneiderman Our free and open source network analysis and visualization tool, NodeXL (www.codeplex.com/nodexl) now has an accompanying book to help students, researchers, and professionals import, analyze, and visualize social networks. "Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL" is now available from Elsevier/MorganKaufmann Publishers: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/723354/descrip tion also available at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Analyzing-Social-Media-Networks-NodeXL/dp/01238222 97 We've had satisfying success in getting information, computer science, communications, and business students to do substantive network analysis and create revealing visualizations, while professionals have been able to develop actionable business analyses. Of course, there are legitimate concerns about how a tool as powerful as NodeXL could be used to extract personal information and business insights that might raise concerns for some people. So much data is now public, but the NodeXL interface enables connecting the dots in ways that were difficult in the past. Powerful tools have many beneficial uses, but raise concerns, demanding increased public and professional understanding of what is possible. We hope you will help in that process within the Washington, DC community that are interested in network analysis. We think there are compelling stories around Pierre de Vries' analysis of FCC filings that indicate surprisingly strong collaborations between rural communication providers, Peter Aldhous of New Scientist who used NodeXL to collect and present evidence for unfair reviewing practices around the hot topic of stem cell research, and our work with Chris Wilson of Slate to show Senate voting patterns. The NodeXL tool, a plug-in for Excel 2007/2010, which has been supported by Microsoft External Research for three years is free to download at www.codeplex.com/nodexl. Users can also download datasets used as examples in the book, or use the NodeXL interface to get network data from email, twitter, facebook, flickr, youtube, and other sources. The book describes the power of social media, gives a solid introduction to network analysis, and then leads readers through the steps of using NodeXL. The software and book combination is proving to be a real game-changer - getting instructors to revise their courses and professionals to make better use of social media. Let us know if you have any questions. We hope you will help us spread the word about this timely book and the potent NodeXL technology that lowers the barriers to making significant analytic insights about social media and networks of all types. Sincerely, Ben, on behalf of Derek Hansen shakmatt(a)gmail.com Ben Shneiderman ben(a)cs.umd.edu Marc Smith marc(a)connectedaction.net Book Description: Businesses, entrepreneurs, individuals, and government agencies alike are looking to social network analysis (SNA) tools for insight into trends, connections, and fluctuations in social media. Microsoft's NodeXL is a free, open-source SNA plug-in for use with Excel. It provides instant graphical representation of relationships of complex networked data. But it goes further than other SNA tools -- NodeXL was developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts that bring together information studies, computer science, sociology, human-computer interaction, and over 20 years of visual analytic theory and information visualization into a simple tool anyone can use. This makes NodeXL of interest not only to end-users but also to researchers and students studying visual and network analytics and their application in the real world. In Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL, members of the NodeXL development team up provide readers with a thorough and practical guide for using the tool while also explaining the development behind each feature. Blending the theoretical with the practical, this book applies specific SNA instructions directly to NodeXL, but the theory behind the implementation can be applied to any SNA. *Walks readers through using NodeXL while explaining the theory and development behind each step, providing takeaways that can apply any SNA *Demonstrates how visual analytics research can be applied to SNA tools for the mass market *Presents readers with case studies using NodeXL on popular networks like email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Wikis http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/723354/descrip tion

1 0

XmdvTool 8.0 released
by Matt Ward 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

The newest version of XmdvTool, a software package for visual exploration of multivariate datasets, is now available at http://davis.wpi.edu/xmdv. XmdvTool has been in the public domain since 1994, and has been under continuous development since then. It supports many popular methods for multivariate data visualization, including parallel coordinates, scatterplot matrices, star glyphs, dimensional stacking, and pixel oriented techniques, as well as a powerful set of interaction tools. New features in version 8 include: (1)A new software architecture: The new system is based on the information visualization reference model (or visualization pipeline) developed by Ed Chi. For more details on our extensions to this pipeline, please see our paper in VDA10 (available on our website). (2)New development environment: We have ported XmdvTool to Eclipse using Qt for the UI to enhance portability. Source code is freely available for developers. (3)Multiple views: User can open multiple datasets at once, and observe each dataset in multiple sub windows with different visualizations. These windows can be tiled and cascaded. (4)Color strategy: With a new color strategy dialog, users can assign colors to datapoints based on data values or different orderings. We support sequential, diverging, and qualitative color maps based on Cynthia Brewer's work (http://colorbrewer2.org) (5)CSV files support: We enable users to open comma-separated values (CSV) files directly in XmdvTool, in addition to the XmdvTool native file format (.okc). The website contains links to the source code and executables, as well as documentation, translation tools, datasets, and case studies. The XmdvTool Project is supported by the National Science Foundation under grants IIS-9732897, IRIS 97-29878, IIS-0119276, IIS-0414380, IIS-0812027, and CCF-0811510. Questions can be directed to xmdv(a)cs.wpi.edu. Matt Ward Computer Science Department Worcester Polytechnic Institute

1 0

Position at Univ. Bonn, DFG project on mobility analysis
by Andrienko 22 Oct '10

22 Oct '10

Preliminary job announcement The Computer Science Department (Informatik III) of the University of Bonn, Germany, invites applications for the following position Researcher (Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in) - visual and algorithmic analysis of movement and event data – The position is part of the Knowledge Discovery research group, which focuses on the subfields of computer science known as knowledge discovery in databases (KDD, sometimes referred to simply as data mining) and machine learning (ML). For us, these fields include on the one hand the automated and visually explorative analysis of large data sets including intelligent algorithms that are capable of extracting from the collected data hidden knowledge in order to produce models that can be used for prediction and decision making. On the other hand, they also include algorithms and methods that are capable of learning from experience and adapting to their environment or their users. The candidate would specifically elaborate and develop scalable visual and algorithmic methods for the analysis of spatiotemporal data, which involve a high complexity of geographical space, time, and multidimensional non-spatial attributes. The candidate has completed a Diplom, Master degree, or PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics or Geoinformatics, and has proven capabilities in software engineering and mathematical modelling. Knowledge of Data Mining and Information Visualization is a prerequisite, knowledge of Geographical Information Systems and practical handling of spatiotemporal data is an advantage. The candidate should be fluent in English and have good writing skills. For non-German speakers gradual learning of the German language is required. The position is available for an initial period of 12-15 months. Anticipated start date is January-April 2011. Salary is according to EG 13, TV-L. Extension of the position for additional 3 years depends on the availability of external funding. The University of Bonn is an equal opportunities employer. Preference will be given to suitably qualified women or handicapped people, all other conditions being equal. Applicants are expected to submit a cover letter, CV, and certificates of high school and university diploma. If you are interested in this position, please contact Professor Dr. Stefan Wrobel and Dr. Gennady Andrienko: Stefan.Wrobel at iais.fraunhofer.de, http://visual-analytics.info Gennady.Andrienko at iais.fraunhofer.de, http://geoanalytics.net/and ____________________________________________________________ Fraunhofer Institute IAIS: http://www.iais.fraunhofer.de ICA GeoVisualization Commission: http://geoanalytics.net/ica Andrienko's homepage: http://geoanalytics.net/and ____________________________________________________________

1 0

CFP: GeoViz workshop in Hamburg, 10-11 March 2011
by Gennady Andrienko 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

Dear colleagues, Please consider submitting your work to the GeoViz workshop in Hamburg, 10-11 March 2011: http://www.geomatik-hamburg.de/geoviz/ The deadline for extended abstracts (2 pages in IEEE 2-column format) is November 1, 2010. Best submissions will be invited to a special issue of the Cartographica journal - to be published soon after the workshop Best regards, Gennady ____________________________________________________________ Fraunhofer Institute IAIS: http://www.iais.fraunhofer.de ICA GeoVisualization Commission: http://geoanalytics.net/ica Andrienko's homepage: http://geoanalytics.net/and ____________________________________________________________

1 0

CFP: GeoViz workshop in Hamburg, 10-11 March 2011
by Gennady Andrienko 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

Dear colleagues, Please consider submitting your work to the GeoViz workshop in Hamburg, 10-11 March 2011: http://www.geomatik-hamburg.de/geoviz/ The deadline for extended abstracts (2 pages in IEEE 2-column format) is November 1, 2010. Best submissions will be invited to a special issue of the Cartographica journal - to be published soon after the workshop Best regards, Gennady ____________________________________________________________ Fraunhofer Institute IAIS: http://www.iais.fraunhofer.de ICA GeoVisualization Commission: http://geoanalytics.net/ica Andrienko's homepage: http://geoanalytics.net/and ____________________________________________________________

1 0

CFP: Information Visualization special issue
by John Stasko 16 Sep '10

16 Sep '10

Information Visualization: State of the Field and New Research Directions A Special Issue of Information Visualization Guest Editors: Andreas Kerren, Catherine Plaisant, and John Stasko We invite the community to submit new articles examining the challenges and successes when applying information visualization to real world problems. Articles that specifically explore the state of research in a sub-area of information visualization are particularly welcome. Papers may focus on existing technical areas (e.g., text analysis or support for the analysis process) or propose new directions of research (e.g., the challenges of dealing with dirty data before and during analysis). Papers that report on a particular new technique or its evaluation are not a main focus. Specific topics particularly of interest are • The influence of display technologies on information visualization • The importance of interaction and/or multimodality • Collaboration within information visualization • Visualization of text and documents • Comparison in information visualization: models and challenges • Data wrangling: transformation of data to enable analysis • Analysis process • Visual design and aesthetics • Prior knowledge of users • Information visualization for the masses This special issue is based on discussions that took place at the second Dagstuhl Seminar on Information Visualization held in June 2010. One goal of this symposium was to bring together theoreticians and practitioners with a special focus on the intersection of information visualization and human-computer interaction. To support discussions that related to the visualization of real world data, researchers from selected application areas, such as Bioinformatics or Software Engineering, also attended and contributed. During the seminar, working groups on different topics (display technologies, interaction, collaboration, text/document visualization, comparison, data wrangling, aesthetics, and analysis process) were formed. Working groups have been invited to submit an article building on their discussions. All articles submitted to the special issue will go through the same rigorous peer-review process of the journal. • Submissions due: 15 November 2010 • Initial reviews: 15 February 2011 (with one month for revisions) • Final acceptance: 1 May 2011 • Final versions due: 1 June 2011 • Publication: October 2011 Inquiries can be made to any of the guest editors. Please inform the guest editors of your intent to submit. Submissions of manuscripts should be made online at: http://ivs.msubmit.net/cgi-bin/main.plex. Papers should not exceed 10 pages (use http://cluster.cis.drexel.edu/~cchen/quickguide.html to estimate the paper length).

1 0

Workshop CFP: The Role of Theory in Information Visualization (VisWeek 2010)
by Robert Kosara 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

Information visualization is a very applied field that prides itself on its practical applications and real-world scenarios. Ignoring the theoretical side is dangerous, however, because it limits our ability to distill useful information about the foundations of the field from the practical work being done, and limits our understanding of how and why our own creations work. The goal of this workshop at VisWeek 2010 is to bring together researchers interested in the theoretical aspects of visualization, define the field, discuss ideas and approaches, and get the word out about the importance of theoretical research in information visualization. Topics include: * Perceptual research * Design studies * Ways of systematically exploring the visualization design space * Methodological work: how do we do our work, and how can we improve our processes? * Representation, structure, metaphors: how and why do we attach meaning to visual shapes? * Reference datasets and tasks Also, how do we make it easier to publish this kind of work? What makes for a good theory paper? Can a theory paper stand on its own, without an application or immediate use? Etc. The workshop will be based mostly on discussions. We invite speakers to submit short (2-page) position statements. A small number of these will be invited to give very brief (3-minute) presentations at the workshop. The goal is not to present large bodies of work, but to have the presentations spark discussions. Deadline: *September 13, 2010 * Submit your 2-page position paper by emailing it to infovistheoryws(a)me.com <mailto:infovistheoryws@me.com> For more information, a link to the formatting instructions, etc., please see http://eagereyes.org/infovis-theory-workshop Robert Kosara T.J. Jankun-Kelly Chris Weaver

1 0

CFP - IEEE Pacific Vis 2011
by Jean-Daniel Fekete 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

2011 IEEE Pacific Visualization Symposium The 4th IEEE Pacific Visualization Symposium (PacificVis 2011) will be held in Hong Kong during March 1 to 4, 2011. Visualization has become an increasingly important research area due to its wide range of applications in many disciplines. PacificVis is an IEEE sponsored international visualization symposium held in the Asia-Pacific region, with the objective to foster greater exchange between visualization researchers and practitioners, and to draw more researchers in the Asia-Pacific region to enter this rapidly growing area of research. Authors are invited to submit original and unpublished research and practical applications in all areas of visualization. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: * Visualization Taxonomies and Models * Spatial Data in Visualization * Information Visualization * Display and Interaction Technology * Evaluation * Perception & Cognition * Hardware for Visualization * Large Data Visualization * Visual Analysis and Knowledge Discovery * Flow Visualization * Applications * Graph Drawing * Visual analytics * Collaboration / Social Visualization * Visualization of Biological / Business / Communication / Social Networks * Security Visualization All papers accepted by IEEE Pacific Visualization 2011 will be published in hardcopy proceedings by IEEE and also included in the IEEE Digital Library. Selected research papers of outstanding quality will be invited to submit an extended version to *IEEE Transactions of Visualization and Computer Graphics*. Top application papers will be invited to submit to a special issue of *IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications* on visualization applications and design studies. Important Dates Paper submission deadline September 24, 2010, 11:59pm (GMT +8:00) Notification of acceptance November 11, 2010 Camera-ready papers due December 3, 2010 Symposium March 1 - 4, 2011, 2011 The Symposium website: http://i.cs.hku.hk/~pvis2011/ <http://i.cs.hku.hk/%7Epvis2011/> Program Co-Chairs Giuseppe Di Battista, Roma Tre University Jean-Daniel Fekete, INRIA Huamin Qu, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

1 0

Visual Analytics Education Workshop
by John Stasko 19 Jul '10

19 Jul '10

*************************************************************** * * Call for Participation - Visual Analytics Education Workshop * *************************************************************** On Monday August 30, in conjunction with the Visual Analytics Community Consortium meeting (http://nvac.pnl.gov/meeting_2010/) we are holding a one-day workshop on visual analytics education at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. This workshop is intended to bring together those currently teaching courses closely related to visual analytics and those who are interested in doing so. The workshop is free. The goals of this workshop are to share lessons learned and best practices in teaching visual analytics, and to develop an example curriculum that will be vetted with the broader academic community. The workshop will feature interactive presentations by several people who have developed or taught visual analytics related courses. It also will include breakouts and group discussions on particular topics related to visual analytics education. We anticipate that topics such as course content and topics, assignments, teaching style, multi-course curricula, and many others will be discussed. This workshop is being organized by a group including Richard Fujimoto, Guy Lebanon, Haesun Park, and John Stasko from Georgia Tech; David Ebert, Marti Burns, and Tim Collins from Purdue; Georges Grinstein from U. Massachusetts-Lowell; and Richard May and Kris Cook from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. It is a joint effort of the FODAVA, NVAC, VACCINE, and CCICADA Centers. What you'll get from participating: a chance to talk to your colleagues about your experiences, learn from their experiences, and work together to develop and refine ideas for visual analytics education, courses, and curricula. =============================================== Important Dates =============================================== * Friday August 13, 2010 - Registration deadline While the workshop is free, we do require that participants register by the deadline for our planning purposes. To register, please send an email to nvac.consortium(a)pnl.gov with the names, email addresses, and affiliations of attendees. ================================================ For More Information ================================================ More information about the workshop can be found at the website: http://nvac.pnl.gov/meeting_2010/workshop.stm. For hotel and travel information, please see the VAC Consortium Meeting website: http://nvac.pnl.gov/meeting_2010/.

1 0

BBC Data Visualisation project
by tom.corby 08 Jul '10

08 Jul '10

Apologies for cross-posting, please forward this announcement to those who may be interested. DataArt on BBC Backstage The BBC and the University of Westminster are pleased to inform you of the online launch of a major public data visualisation project DataArt on BBC Backstage. http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/data_art/index.php We believe that data is a vitally new reporting medium that tells us stories about our lives. Often this data is difficult to understand in its raw form of lists of numbers or text, but as we are exposed to it on a daily basis interpretation skills and access to information resources are increasingly important for us all. Converting this data into explorable visualisations helps us to comprehend it in ways that draw upon our innate capabilities to read information as images and patterns. As both a visual medium and a tool for reasoning, these visualisations straddle the disciplines of art, design, science and statistics. Who is DataArt for? DataArt aims to reach people who know little about visualisation but want to find out more, those looking at visualisation from an educational perspective and the existing developer community already engaged in producing their own work. What are we providing? DataArt provides public access to data visualizations of the BBC's online resources be they news information from around the world, web articles, music data or video and learning resources. For our launch we have released 4 visualisations for people to use immediately: Flared Music, 3d Documentary Explorer, SearchWeb, and News Globe. In addition we provide a learning resources section of the website giving further background information to the subject of visualisation including its histories and uses. This area will grow as the project develops and we hope will provide a rich source of educational material. For more advanced developers we have also provided some initial access to tools, tutorials and computer code you can download and modify. Over the coming months, more visualisations will be released leading to a second phase of the project in November 2010, which sees the release of further source code using a variety of different programming languages and software libraries. All our visualisations are based on BBC data and use sources that are already open to the public which you can use immediately for your own projects. We will also be creating new data sources and hope to provide access to BBC data not currently available to the public. Further releases will be publicised on our main site and via our facebook presence. Participate! We are interested in your thoughts and feedback whether you are a complete novice to the subject area, a student or an advanced practitioner. In the project blog we encourage you to tell us what you think about DataArt, share your experiences and publish links to work you have made with the material we have provided. We'll also pass on useful tips via the blog to help you get the most out of it. We'd also be delighted to hear your thoughts on via our facebook presence: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DataArt-BBC-Backstage/108238225894676 The project is funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council and is the result of collaboration between the Centre for Research in Education Art and Media (CREAM), at the University of Westminster, BBC Backstage and BBC Learning.

1 0