KEYWORDS: Visualization, Navigation systems, Information visualization, Buildings, Data modeling, Electronic components, Human-machine interfaces, Visual process modeling, 3D acquisition, 3D displays
The field of information visualization is in permanent expansion and new and innovative ways of visualizing large volumes of abstract data are being developed. The use of virtual metaphoric worlds is one of them, but these visualizations per se are only truly useful if the user is provided a means of exploring the information. A common way of data exploration is navigation. In the case of three-dimensional (3D) information visualization, navigation as a means of information exploration attains even more importance due to the extra exploitable dimension. Nonetheless, navigation in large virtual worlds is still a difficult task and not only for naive users; there is anecdotal evidence that electronic navigation is considered difficult even by the virtual worlds builders. Wayfinding, knowing where to go, is sometimes perceived as the hardest part; other times, it is the locomotion, getting there, that is found difficult. This paper presents a navigation strategy that attempts to solve these problems by combining physical/metaphoric navigation with semantic navigation. We present a framework for navigating large virtual worlds that relies heavily on the use of visual metaphors. The combination of physical and semantic navigation embedded in the metaphor components allows for a powerful data exploration and electronic navigation mechanism.
KEYWORDS: Visualization, Associative arrays, Information visualization, Virtual point source, 3D visualizations, Computer programming, 3D modeling, Solar system, Human-machine interfaces, Virtual reality
In this paper we present the CyberNet research project. The aim of this project is to study how 3D visualization may help the user in the process of monitoring large amounts of dynamic information. The project focuses on a specific application domain, network management, but it is designed so that it can be applied to other domains. The paper present how information is collected and structured in order to define services that the user wants to monitor. We also present the impact of the dynamic nature of information on the system. Each 3D world represent a service, that is a model that groups and structures all the information related to a specific aspect of the network. Each modification of the service has a real time impact on the virtual world. This representation is done within the context of a 3D metaphor that defines the rules used to map services onto graphical elements. It also defines how information is mapped onto the visual parameters of these graphical elements. The metaphor also handles suitable navigation and interaction mechanisms to allow the user to explore and manage the virtual world.
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