An interactive visualization approach to the overview of geoscience data

© 2016, The Visualization Society of Japan. Abstract: Geoscience observation data refer to the datasets consisting of time series of multiple parameters generated from the sensors at fixed locations. Although a few works have attempted to visualize such data, none of them views these data as a specific type and attempts to show the overview in all the space, time and attribute aspects. It is important for domain experts to select the subsets of interest from huge amounts of observation data according to the high level patterns shown in the overview. We present a novel approach to visualize geoscience observation data in a compact radial view. Our solution consists of three visual elements. A map showing the spatial aspect is in the center of the visualization, while temporal and attribute aspects are seamlessly combined with the spatial information. Our approach is equipped with interactive mechanisms for highlighting the selected features, adjusting the display range, as well as interactively generating a fisheye view. We demonstrate the usability of our approach with three case studies of different domains. Eye tracking records and user feedbacks obtained in a small experiment also prove the effectiveness of our approach. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]