GI2Vis

Need

Users faced with general purpose visualization tools, or developers faced with selecting from reusable visualization components can rapidly become overwhelmed by the number of options. More importantly, they are often ‘blinded’ by the glitz and aesthetic of the design, and are unable to understand the fundamental decision support capabilities and limitations.

Idea

By mapping visualization techniques into a matrix of ‘decision support for intelligence analysis’ and further into a matrix of ‘representational design principles’ a foundation can be developed for selecting an appropriate visual form for the decision support needs of the user.

• Read the White paper (.doc)
• Read the User Manual (.doc)
• Try the tool (java application)

Benefit

Externalizing the model of analysis support and some basic principles of representational design allowed analysts and developers to rapidly understand the benefits (and drawbacks) of any proposed visual form. Program Managers immediately identified ‘support gaps’ as possible research targets for their programs.