An Exploration on Visual Representations of Information

Title: Visual Elements in Search and Information Retrieval Systems
Author: Mari Carmen Marcos
Publisher: Sección Científica de Ciencias de la Documentación · Departamento de Periodismo y de Comunicación Audiovisual
URL: http://eprints.rclis.org/bitstream/10760/8970/1/visual.pdf

Abstract
This article presents Information Visualization with visual representation of information techniques of laboratory/non-commercial Visual Information Retrieval Interfaces (VIRIs). The author of this article lifts Ben Shneiderman’s synthesis to emphasize that visualization is necessary during the four stages of information search/retrieval process – entry of query, verification of retrieved data, retrieval of needed information, and search for related data from the attributes of the retrieved information. Information retrieval is deemed easy and more successful with the use of visualization, for the latter when employed to information, provides people a mental representation of the information space.

Limitations of presented VIRIs were observed as majority only count a sufficient number of terms in full text documents to automate the use of language and compare the quantity of these terms in each document to develop categories/clusters.

Three-point Learning

1. This article validates the notion that humans are highly visual-oriented; that visual reception stimulates humans to think and seek information.

2. There is a need to further the field of research on Information Visualization to achieve higher, if not the highest, precision results in visual information retrieval interfaces.

3. Aside from visualization and the usual keyword search, VIRIs' clustering of terms and development of categories offer a supplemental method for users to improve their information retrieval activities.


Application
As an information seeker, this blogger will try to fully understand the peculariaties of each VIRI. User guides are essential to help information seekers make an accurate and substantial retrieval of information through VIRIs.

Immediate breakthrough on Information Visualization may be within reach should there be solid collaborations among information specialists, psychologists, linguists, mathematicians, and computer programmers.