ThemeRiver: visualizing thematic changes in large documentcollections
Havre, S.
Hetzler, E.
Whitney, P.
Nowell, L.
Battelle Pacific Northwest Div., Richland, WA;
This paper appears in: Visualization and Computer Graphics, IEEE Transactions on
Publication Date: Jan/Mar 2002
Volume: 8,
Issue: 1
On page(s): 9-20
ISSN: 1077-2626
References Cited: 21
CODEN: ITVGEA
INSPEC Accession Number: 7191339
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/2945.981848
Current Version Published: 2002-08-07
Abstract
The ThemeRiver visualization depicts thematic variations over time
within a large collection of documents. The thematic changes are shown
in the context of a time-line and corresponding external events. The
focus on temporal thematic change within a context framework allows a
user to discern patterns that suggest relationships or trends. For
example, the sudden change of thematic strength following an external
event may indicate a causal relationship. Such patterns are not readily
accessible in other visualizations of the data. We use a river metaphor
to convey several key notions. The document collection's time-line,
selected thematic content and thematic strength are indicated by the
river's directed flow, composition and changing width, respectively. The
directed flow from left to right is interpreted as movement through time
and the horizontal distance between two points on the river defines a
time interval. At any point in time, the vertical distance, or width, of
the river indicates the collective strength of the selected themes.
Colored "currents" flowing within the river represent individual themes.
A current's vertical width narrows or broadens to indicate decreases or
increases in the strength of the individual theme
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