Information visualization

Information visualization is a complex research area. It builds on theory in information design, computer graphics, human-computer interaction and cognitive science.

As a subject in computer science, information visualization is the use of interactive, sensory representations, typically visual, of abstract data to reinforce cognition.

Practical application of information visualization in computer programs involves selecting, transforming and representing abstract data in a form that facilitates human interaction for exploration and understanding. Dynamic forms of visualisation such as educational animation have the potential to enhance understandings of systems that change over time.

Important aspects of information visualization are the interactivity and dynamics of the visual representation. Strong techniques enable the user to modify the visualization in real-time, thus affording unparalleled perception of patterns and structural relations in the abstract data in question.

Although much work in information visualization regards to visual forms, auditory and other sensory representations are also of concern.

Academic Journal
Information Visualization

Academic Conferences
One of the top academic conferences for new research in information visualization is the annually held IEEE Symposium on Information Visualization (InfoVis).

InfoVis 2004

InfoVis 2005

There is also the annually held International Conference on Information Visualization (IV).

IV'05

Related Research Areas

 * Data Mining, also known as knowledge-discovery in databases (KDD)
 * Graph Drawing
 * Knowledge Visualization
 * Scientific/Data Visualization
 * Timescapes, also known as wisdom for artificial intelligence (AI) agents
 * Visual Analytics