Noname manuscript No. (will be inserted by the editor) A Survey on Information Visualization: Recent Advances and Challenges

Abstract Information visualization, the study of transforming data, informa-tion, and knowledge into interactive visual representations, is very important to users because it provides mental models of information. The boom in big data analytics has triggered broad use of information visualization in a vari-ety of domains, ranging from finance to sports to politics. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey and key insights on this fast-rising area. The research on information visualization is organized into a taxonomy that con-tains four main categories, namely empirical methodologies, user interactions, visualization frameworks, and applications, which are each described in terms of their major goals, fundamental principles, recent trends, and state-of-the-art approaches. At the conclusion of this survey, we identify existing technical challenges and propose directions for future research.