A Review of Geospatial Content in IEEE Visualization Publications

Alexander Yoshizumi, Megan M. Coffer, Elyssa L. Collins, Mollie D. Gaines, Xiaojie Gao, Kate Jones, Ian R. McGregor, Katie A. McQuillan, Vinicius Perin, Thom Worm, Laura M. Tomkins, Laura Tateosian

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View presentation:2020-10-28T14:00:00ZGMT-0600Change your timezone on the schedule page
2020-10-28T14:00:00Z
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Geospatial analysis is crucial for addressing many of the world’s most pressing challenges. So, how is IEEE VIS extending visualization techniques for exploring geospatial data? We examine 220 recent (2017-2019) IEEE VIS papers for geospatial elements. 94 of these present geospatial data applications. Groupings by data domain are shown in the light gray bars. The GEO band marks the 64 papers that are intrinsically geospatial (dark gray cubes). The TRK bar maps these papers to IEEE Vis tracts. We also search for geospatial terms within 30 years of IEEE Visualization papers. Our results indicate increases in geospatial content over time.
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Keywords

geovisualization, cartography, mapping, geospatial analytics, spatial temporal

Abstract

Geospatial analysis is crucial for addressing many of the world's most pressing challenges. Given this, there is immense value in improving and expanding the visualization techniques used to communicate geospatial data. In this work, we explore this important intersection – between geospatial analytics and visualization – by examining a set of recent IEEE VIS Conference papers (a selection from 2017-2019) to assess the inclusion of geospatial data and geospatial analyses within these papers. After removing the papers with no geospatial data, we organize the remaining literature into geospatial data domain categories and provide insight into how these categories relate to VIS Conference paper types. We also contextualize our results by investigating the use of geospatial terms in IEEE Visualization publications over the last 30 years. Our work provides an understanding of the quantity and role of geospatial subject matter in recent IEEE VIS publications and supplies a foundation for future meta-analytical work around geospatial analytics and geovisualization that may shed light on opportunities for innovation.