The Human Activity of Visualization: Cultural and Psychological Factors 
in Representation of Geographic Phenomena
 
Dr. Rob Edsall, Arizona State University
 
Visualization is inherently a human activity, with purposely vague goals such 
as "knowledge construction," "hypothesis generation," and "insight," each 
of which is highly dependent on the user of a visualization system.  It 
should be noted that nowhere in the high-level goals of visualization is the 
creation of attractive diagrams, the use of three-dimensional graphics, or 
the cutting-edge use of high-performance computing.  Though these more 
tangible things can be used in the process of visualization, they are without 
scientific merit if they do not lead a human user of a visualization system to 
discover new features or relationships in a data set, or develop a deeper 
understanding of a phenomenon, or question his or her prior mental models of a 
problem.  This talk will discuss the concept of geographic visualization, 
dispelling myths that research in visualization should be concerned with the 
construction of new and exciting graphics without interest in how of if 
those graphics improve a user's understanding of spatial and spatiotemporal 
data or phenomena.  I will discuss recent research in adapting visualization 
components according to cultural factors, in analyzing graphics with 
psychological (cognitive, semiotic, and perceptual) theory, in considering the 
power of maps as a socially constructed medium of trust and authority, and in 
imagining new interfaces and representation forms that will facilitate 
creative problem-solving and decision-making.