Lecture 6: Fundamental Concepts

Question 1

What are some valide ways to deal with large datasets?

Answer 1

Temporal Partitioning
‣ Navigation: Pan, Rotate, Zoom
‣ Geometric vs. Semantic Zooming
Spatial Partitioning
‣ Multiple Coordinated Views
‣ Overview + Detail
Aggregation & Filtering

Question 2

Describe Geometrical Zoom

Answer 2

Geometric zooming refers to a traditional zoom effect where visual elements (charts, maps, graphs) scale proportionally as the user zooms in or out. No new information is revealed—everything just gets larger or smaller.

Question 3

Describe Semantic Zoom

Answer 3

Semantic zooming means that as the user zooms in or out, different levels of information or representations of the data are revealed. The visualization changes to show more meaningful details or abstract summaries based on the zoom level.

Question 4

Describe a General Purpose Tool

Answer 4

‣ Can flexible handle a wide range of data
‣ Can often not be used to solve complex domain specific problems

Question 5

Describe a Narrow Tool

Answer 5

‣ Designed for specific context and datasets
‣ Vis designer has made lots of choices
‣ User cannot override them