The GAV Toolkit for Multiple Linked Views

Implementing InfoVis multivariate data tools, timelinked coordinated views and visual dynamic queries with conditioning from scratch is not a simple programming task. Our research objective is to develop a generic GeoAnalytics visualization (GAV) component toolkit, based on the principles behind visual analytics (VA), for dynamically exploring time-varying, geographically referenced and multivariate attributes simultaneously. GAV includes components based on a synergy of technologies from information visualization, geovisualization and scientific visualization. Our research concentrates on improving visual user interfaces (VUI) methods and trying to extend existing visual representation techniques. The effectiveness of our proposed component toolkit and framework is demonstrated in two customized applications GeoWizard analysing multivariate energy usage data for Swedish municipalities and MD-Explorer exploring multivariate data using novel interactive ternary diagrams. We use parallel coordinates with embedded visual inquiry methods that serves as a visual control panel for dynamically linked and coordinated views. Finally, discoveries made during the visual exploration process can be captured and organized in a format for later recall and communication to others.