Stephen G. Eick leads the Visualization Research Group at Bell Laboratory. They developed a suite of software components for building visual data analysis systems. The components run within web browsers and are suited for building web-based dynamic graphics systems. Their component set contains ten views, all of which are linked, colorful, and interactive. Together they function as a visual presentation layer.

Their research focus has been on building a presentation layer for visual data analysis. The ideas are imbodied in a set of linked interactive views, each using unique graphical representation or visual metaphor for representation data. The views are packaged as software components and are easily integrated into web browsers to build useful applications. The views work together to provide a multi-view, visual data analysis environment. The paper lists several special features of the views that make them powerful: High Interactivity, View Linking, Filtering, Colorful, Scalabel, Drill Down and Aggregation.

The views may be divided into five classes: elementary and presentation oriented (Lines, Pies) aggregate (Barchart, Histogram), drill-down for showing details (Data Sheet, Counts), and relationship dicovery views (Scatterplot, Parabox, Data Onstellations, Time Table). Eight examples of different figures and their features are shown in the paper.

Eick's page tell us that their research objective now is to invent new representations, develop guiding principles, create general theory, and build a software infrastructure embodying their results for producing novel, information-rich displays. Their recent papers are Visual Data Mining on Recognizing Telephone Calling Fraud, and 3D geographic networks.

Weiping Deng
5/23/00