Science map metaphors: a comparison of network versus hexmap-based visualizations (original) (raw)

Visualization of Disciplinary Profiles: Enhanced Science Overlay Maps

Journal of Data and Information Science

The purpose of this study is to modernize previous work on science overlay maps by updating the underlying citation matrix, generating new clusters of scientific disciplines, enhancing visualizations, and providing more accessible means for analysts to generate their own maps.We use the combined set of 2015Findings appear in the form of visuals throughout the manuscript. In Figures 1–9 we provide basemaps of science and science overlay maps for a number of companies, universities, and technologies.As Web of Science Categories change and/or are updated so is the need to update the routine we provide. Also, to apply the routine we provide users need access to the Web of Science.Visualization of science overlay maps is now more accurate and true to the 2015The routine we advance allows users to visualize science overlay maps in VOSviewer using data from more recent

Can Interactive Map-Based Visualizations Reveal Contexts of Scientific Datasets?

Existing map-based visualizations of scientific datasets support a small number of tasks. They do not allow users to visually inspect properties and contexts in scientific datasets and focus only on showing locations in space and time. This paper describes a prototype that provides a better support for visual analyses of scientific contexts by means of additional representations and richer interactions with scientific data.

Visualization of bibliographic networks with a reshaped landscape metaphor

ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 2002

We describe a novel approach to visualize bibliographic networks that facilitates the simultaneous identification of clusters (e.g., topic areas) and prominent entities (e.g., surveys or landmark papers). While employing the landscape metaphor proposed in several earlier works, we introduce new means to determine relevant parameters of the landscape. Moreover, we are able to compute prominent entities, clustering of entities, and

Maps : A Visual Tool in the STEM Undergraduate Experience

2017

As a visualization tool, maps can illuminate and situate scientific discourse in the academic teaching mission. Ken Foote, noted US geographer and science educator, explains that maps “are the preeminent means of recording and communicating information about the location and spatial characteristics of the natural world and of society and culture” [1]. Scientific primary works are often overlooked as a means to engage STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) undergraduate students in scientific discovery and advancement. Although many such works are aweinspiring—works by Galileo or Newton, for example—they also present challenges for undergraduates because it is difficult for students to grasp the scientific notions of the time without additional context. Because maps are primary sources that reflect the context of their creation, they provide a setting for primary scientific works. Maps are caricatures of reality, designed through a process of abstraction [2], and ar...

Visual-spatial exploration of thematic spaces: a comparative study of three visualization models

2001

Scatter graphs are a popular medium for visualizing spatial- semantic structures derived from abstract information spaces. For small spaces such graphs can be an effective means of reducing high-dimensional information into two or three spatial dimensions. As dimensionally increases, representing the thematic diversity of documents using spatial proximity alone becomes less and less effective. This paper reports an experiment designed to determine whether, for larger spaces, benefits are to be gained from adding visual links between document nodes as an additional means of representing the most important semantic relationships. Two well known algorithms, minimum spanning trees (MST) and pathfinder associative networks (PFNET), were tested against both a scatter graph visualization, derived from factor analysis, and a traditional list-based hypertext interface. It was hypothesized that visual links would facilitate users' comprehension of the information space with corresponding gains in information space with corresponding gains in information seeking performance. Navigation performance and user impression were analyzed across a range of different search tasks. Results indicate both significant performance gains and more positive user feedback for MST and PFNET visualizations over scatter graphs. Performance on all visualizations was generally poorer and never better than that achieved on the text list interface although the magnitude of these differences was found to be highly task dependent.

Mapping the backbone of science

2005

Summary This paper presents a new map representing the structure of all of science, based on journal articles, including both the natural and social sciences. Similar to cartographic maps of our world, the map of science provides a bird's eye view of today's scientific landscape. It can be used to visually identify major areas of science, their size, similarity, and interconnectedness. In order to be useful, the map needs to be accurate on a local and on a global scale.

Paradigms, citations, and maps of science: A personal history : Visualizing scientific paradigms

Journal of the American Society For Information Science and Technology, 2003

Can maps of science tell us anything about paradigms? The author reviews his earlier work on this question, including Kuhn's reaction to it. Kuhn's view of the role of bibliometrics differs substantially from the kinds of reinterpretations of paradigms that information scientists are currently advocating. But these reinterpretations are necessary if his theory will ever be empirically tested, and further progress is to be made in understanding the growth of scientific knowledge. A new Web tool is discussed that highlights rapidly changing specialties that may lead to new ways of monitoring revolutionary change in real time. It is suggested that revolutionary and normal science be seen as extremes on a continuum of rates of change rather than, as Kuhn originally asserted, as an all or none proposition.

The Role of Visualization in the Shaping and Exploration of the Individual Information Space: Part 1

Knowledge Organization, 2018

Studies on the state and structure of digital knowledge concerning science generally relate to macro and meso scales. Supported by visualizations, these studies can deliver knowledge about emerging scientific fields or collaboration between countries, scientific centers, or groups of researchers. Analyses of individual activities or single scientific career paths are rarely presented and discussed. The authors decided to fill this gap and developed a web application for visualizing the scientific output of particular researchers. This free software based on bibliographic data from local databases, provides six layouts for analysis. Researchers can see the dynamic characteristics of their own writing activity, the time and place of publication, and the thematic scope of research problems. They can also identify cooperation networks, and consequently, study the dependencies and regularities in their own scientific activity. The current article presents the results of a study of the application’s usability and functionality as well as attempts to define different user groups. A survey about the interface was sent to select researchers employed at Nicolaus Copernicus University. The results were used to answer the question as to whether such a specialized visualization tool can significantly augment the individual information space of the contemporary researcher.

Evaluation of a Prototype Search and Visualization System for Exploring Scientific Communities

AMIA Annual Symposium …, 2009

Searches of bibliographic databases generate lists of articles but do little to reveal connections between authors, institutions, and grants. As a result, search results cannot be fully leveraged. To address this problem we developed Sciologer, a prototype search and visualization system. Sciologer presents the results of any PubMed query as an interactive network diagram of the above elements. We conducted a cognitive evaluation with six neuroscience and six obesity researchers. Researchers used the system effectively. They used geographic, color, and shape metaphors to describe community structure and made accurate inferences pertaining to a) collaboration among research groups; b) prominence of individual researchers; and c) differentiation of expertise. The tool confirmed certain beliefs, disconfirmed others, and extended their understanding of their own discipline. The majority indicated the system offered information of value beyond a traditional PubMed search and that they would use the tool if available.