Course Organization & Format
Visualization II
MSIM 842, CS 795/895
Instructor:
Jessica Crouch
Visualization
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
Visual communication can be
very effective
very efficient
Visual communication can be
worthless
if done well
if done poorly
Some visualizations are
more appealing and
informative than others
Course Content
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The question:
– How can we design algorithms that produce
informative, intuitive, graphical representations
of data?
– No single answer exists (obviously)
– Best design depends on
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Type of information
What the user needs to learn from the visualization
Efficiency considerations
Assumption / Pre-Requisite
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Everyone here knows a bit about graphics
and has some experience with graphics
programming (OpenGL)
What is the difference between graphics and
visualization?
Assumption / Pre-Requisite
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We’ll focus on designing visualizations and we’ll
assume you have enough background in graphics to
implement a design.
– Background knowledge of graphics is important because
issues of computational efficiency must be considered.
– We could dream up NP-Complete algorithms that would
produce lovely visualizations but would be useless from a
practical standpoint.
– If a visualization needs to be interactive, understanding
how the graphics pipeline works is especially vital.
Types of Information
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How should this course be organized?
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Could categorize according to application area:
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Medical
Networks
Oceanographic
Astronomical
Transportation
Structural engineering
Fluid mechanics
Etc.
Types of Information
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Often it is more useful to categorize based
on fundamental characteristics of the data
– Dimensionality
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Inherent spatial coordinates?
Time varying?
Scalar, vector, tensor properties?
– Sparse vs. dense
– Discrete vs. continuous
Types of Information
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Visualization algorithms and techniques
generalize across application areas
– Ex: Scalar fields can be visualized using color
mapping
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Works for temperature distribution over surface of the
earth, for distribution of radiation over a slice of the brain,
and for lots of other applications
Course Organization
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Visualization topics are roughly grouped by
data type
(with a couple exceptions)
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Syllabus & tentative schedule are online
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Assigned readings are online too
– We’re reading research papers rather than a
textbook
– Most classes will consist of a presentation and
discussion of 2 research papers
Course Format
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This is a Ph.D. level course
– No higher level courses in visualization are offered at ODU
– Objective is to familiarize you with up-to-date visualization
research
– Focus will be on current research
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Will provide an opportunity for you to
– Learn what is currently going on in the field of visualization
– Practice presenting research (even if someone else’s…)
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You need this for conferences, defense, jobs, etc.
– Critically evaluating research work
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You’ll have to review other people’s papers and grant proposals,
and you’ll need to know what to expect when other people review
your work
Paper presentations
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Each student will present two papers during the semester
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First task: peruse the papers online and prioritize them
according to which ones you would prefer to present
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Email me ([email protected]) your preferences by
Sunday night. In your email represent each paper using
the letter labels given on the schedule.
On Monday I will make assignments satisfying as many
preferences as possible and post the presentation schedule
online.
First two presenters then have 9 days to prepare.
Course Format
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Look at the website:
www.cs.odu.edu/~jrcrouch/courses/msim842-s07
Write down username, password.
How to prepare your
presentations
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Read the paper
Read background material to clarify
anything in the paper that you don’t fully
understand
– Look up some of the references from the end of
the paper
– Use textbooks and other sources as necessary
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Prepare a PowerPoint or pdf presentation
and lecture to explain the paper
– Send me your presentation file by 5pm Tuesday
before your Wed. presentation.
Presentation organization
Follow this general outline when preparing
your presentation:
– Problem
– Motivation
– Approach
– Evaluation
– Conclusion
– Questions
Problem
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What problem does this work solve?
– Describe how the problem developed
– If possible, tell the problem’s “story”
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Ex., “New MRI technology was developed that reports
medically significant tensor data. Previous MRI data was
scalar valued, so new methods for communicating the
structure of the tensor field in the brain needed to be
developed. This paper describes a method for visualizing
two dimensional tensors over the brain volume.”
– Give appropriate definitions of any new terms or acronyms
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This part should be interesting and attention
grabbing (while remaining relevant)
Motivation
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Why is the problem important?
– Examples of applications that would benefit from
a solution
– Examples of people who might be able to use a
good solution
– Would a good solution
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Save lives?
Save money?
Help scientists make new discoveries?
Improve education?
Tell us why should we care about this work.
Approach
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Teach us how this visualization method
works
– Provide background information wherever
necessary
– Go slow
– Don’t skip steps
– Be explicit, give examples
– Include illustrations from the paper and other
sources
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This is the longest, most detailed part of the
presentation
Evaluation
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How is the performance of this
visualization measured?
– If a validation experiment was performed,
explain how it worked: inputs, outputs,
comparisons
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Summarize the results of the evaluation
– Put in context, given the what competing
visualization methods might do
Conclusion
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In what situations would this method be ideal?
In what situations would this method perform
poorly?
Are the visualizations effective from a human
perception standpoint?
Is the method efficient from a computation
standpoint?
Is additional work needed? If so, what?
This is the critical thinking part.
Questions
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Bring 3-5 questions for the class
– Ask us questions that require us to
thoroughly understand the paper in order
to answer.
– Ask us questions that make us consider
the work critically and stimulate
discussion.
When you are not
presenting
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Read the papers carefully before class
– Understand the basic objective and methods used
– Jot down questions regarding anything that is unclear
– Make note of what you think the main strengths and
weaknesses of the work are
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Participate in class discussion of paper
Provide an honest and constructive evaluation of your
peers’ presentations
– See form on course website
– Fill out and give to me (or email me) after class
– I will provide anonymous feedback to presenters
Respond to feedback
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No one will present two papers on the
same day.
Please respond to recommendations
you receive on your first presentation
when you prepare your second
presentation.