Focus+Context Display of the Visualization Exploration Process

The purpose of the visualization process is to extract insight from information via visual representations. However, the visualization process itself is information and can be in turn visualized. This work describes a method for visualizing the visualization process using a new focus+context radial graph algorithm. Four different metrics for extracting information from the visualization are examined. Using an example from a network visualization system, the effectiveness of the visualization and metrics are demonstrated. Using the methods discussed here, a better understanding of a particular visualization process---and its corresponding results---is facilitated