Smart lenses

Abstract

Focus + context techniques are widely used for the efficient visualization of large data sets. However, the corresponding adaptation of the representation to the task at hand is not trivial, requiring a suitable model of the visualization goal. One type of focus + context technique is the use of lenses, interactive tools that modify the visualization in a locally confined region and can be 'stacked' to create complex filters. In this paper we propose a new approach to intergrate smart lenses into the visualization process based on Chi's Data State Reference Model.This allows us to automatically adapt specific aspects of the visualization based on relevant influence factors, without complex task modeling. ©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008.