CPSC 533C: Information Visualization, Spring 2003

Remember to reload the page, changes are frequent

Instructor: Tamara Munzner

Time: Monday/Wednesday, 12:30-2pm, FSC 1221

Office Hours: Monday 2:30-4:30, FSC 2618

Jump to Current Week | Overview | Short Syllabus | Detailed Syllabus | Guidelines | Resources | Projects

Overview

Description

Computer-based information visualization, or "infovis", centers around helping people explore or explain data by designing interactive software that exploits the properties of the human perceptual system. The central design challenge in infovis is designing a cognitively useful spatial mapping of a dataset that is not inherently spatial. There are many possible visual encodings, only a fraction of which are helpful for a given task. It draws on the intellectual history of several traditions, including computer graphics, human-computer interaction, cognitive psychology, semiotics, graphic design, statistical graphics, cartography, and art. The synthesis of relevant ideas from these fields with new methodologies and techniques made possible by interactive computation are critical for helping people keep pace with the torrents of data confronting them. One of the few resources increasing faster than the speed of computer hardware is the amount of data to be processed.

Structure

The course will be a mixture of lecture by the professor and class discussions on the readings led by a student presenter. Usually Mondays (except for the first one) will be student presentations, and Wednesdays will be lectures.

Grades in the course will be determined by

There will be no final examination in this course, final project presentations will be during the scheduled final exam time.

This course will be loosely synchronized with Ron Rensink's 532: Perceptual Issues in Visual Interface Design. We will both use the same primary textbook, with more emphasis on visualization in my course vs. the perception emphasis in 532. The programming projects from this class will be appropriate for the evaluation studies to be done in 532. However, either course can certainly be taken separately.

Prerequisites

The only formal prerequisite is the ability to program. The language and platform of the final programming project may be chosen by each student or team. Prior background in graphics programming (i.e. CPSC414) is useful but not required. Students from outside the Department of Computer Science are encouraged to take this course (with consent of instructor), see registration instructions. Undergraduates with a strong interest in the field will be considered on a space-available basis with consent of the instructor, because there will be no undergrad visualization course taught this year.

Short Weekly Syllabus

  Week  

  Date  

  Topic  

  Monday Presenters  
  1     Jan 6,8     Intro  
2   Jan 13,15     Perception     Rhian Davies, Ken Deeter  
3   Jan 20,22     Visual Encodings     Andrew Chan, Fengdong Du  
4   Jan 27,29     Space/Order     Quanzhen Geng, Jing Li  
5   Feb 3,5     Color     Ming Huan Lee, Rod McFarland  
6   Feb 10,12     Dimensions/Depth     James Slack, Matt Williams  
  Feb 13     Project Proposals Due  
  Feb 17,19     Reading Week  
7   Feb 24,26     Tasks/Design     Rhian Davies, Ming Huan Lee, Rod McFarland  
8   Mar 3,5     Interaction     Quanzhen Geng, Jing Li, James Slack  
9   Mar 10,12     Navigation/Zooming     Chris Gray, Reid Holmes  
10   Mar 17,19     [Project Updates]  
11   Mar 24,26     Focus+Context     Andrew Chan, Fengdong Du, Reid Holmes  
12   Mar 31, Apr 2     Abstraction/Aggregation     Ken Deeter, Chris Gray, Matt Williams  
13   Apr 7, 9     Evaluation/SciViz/Future     Dustin Lang  
14     [Final Presentations]  

Detailed Syllabus

Main text: Information Visualization: Perception for Design by Colin Ware, Morgan Kaufmann, 2000.

Week 1: Introduction Jan 6, 8

Readings

Slides

Demos


Week 2: Perception Jan 13,15

Readings

Slides:

Demos Videos

Week 3: Visual Encodings Jan 20,22

Readings

Slides

Web Sites

Videos


Week 4: Space/Order Jan 27, 29

Readings

Slides

Demos

Videos


Week 5: Color Feb 3,5

Readings

Slides

Demos

Videos


Week 6: Dimensions/Depth Feb 10, 12

Readings

Slides

Demos

Videos


Reading Week Feb 17, 19

Week 7: Design, Tasks Feb 24,26 Class cancelled Wed 2/26

Readings

Slides


Week 8: Interaction Mar 3, 5

Readings

Slides

Demos

Videos


Week 9: Navigation/Zooming Mar 10, 12

Readings

Slides

Demos Videos


Week 10: Project Updates Mar 17,19

Readings none

Timing: single person 12 minutes, group 15 minutes

Mon Mar 17

Wed Mar 19


Week 11: Focus+Context Mar 24, 26

Readings

Slides

Demos

Videos


Week 12: Abstraction/Aggregation Mar 31, Apr 2

Readings

Slides

Demos


Week 13: Evaluation/SciVis/Future Apr 7, 9

Readings

Slides

Videos


Week 14: Final Presentations Tue Apr 29 1-4pm (FSC 1221, same as usual)

Permanent URL of this page is http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~tmm/courses/cpsc533c-03-spr/
Tamara Munzner
Last modified: Wed Feb 11 11:19:00 PST 2004