Multi-touch Parallel Coordinates for Interactive InfoVis (video and Info) via Dr. Robert Kosara

Dr. Robert Kosara's area of research is information and data visualization. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, College of Computing and Informatics, at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and also a member of the Charlotte Visualization Center.   He's fascinated with parallel sets/categorical data visualization.

Dr. Kosara is known for his deep thoughts about information visualization, as well as persuading others that they should think deep thoughts about the subject, too! His latest work is an example of interesting multi-touch interaction with representation of parallel coordinates using multi-touch trackpads commonly found on laptops, including the Macbook Pro.

Indirect Multi-touch Interaction for Brushing in Parallel Coordinates:

Indirect Multi-Touch Interaction for Brushing in Parallel Coordinates from Robert Kosara on Vimeo.


BELOW IS INFORMATION FROM THE VIMEO WEBSITE:

"This is the companion video for a paper we submitted recently. It describes a technique for interacting with parallel coordinates using the multi-touch trackpad found on laptops like Apple's MacBook Pro. 


Below is the abstract from that paper:
Interaction in visualization is often complicated and tedious. Brushing data in a visualization such as Parallel Coordinates allows the user to select data points according to certain criteria. Modifying a brush or combining it with another one usually requires a lot of additional effort and mode switches.
We propose the use of multi-touch interaction to provide fast and convenient interaction with Parallel Coordinates. By using a multi-touch trackpad rather than the screen directly, the users hands do not obscure the visualization during interaction. Using one, two, three, or four fingers, the user can easily and quickly perform complex selections. Being able to change the selections rapidly, the user can explore the data set more easily and effectively, and can focus on the data rather than the interaction."


RELATED
Robert Kosara's info about parallel sets
EagarEyes Shorts
IEEE VizWeek 2010 (21st IEEE Visualization Conference; 16th IEEE InfoVis Conference; 5th IEEE VAST Conference)  October 24-29, 2010, Salt Lake City, Utah


A plug for a couple of Dr. Kosara's recent publications:

Caroline Ziemkiewicz, Robert Kosara,
Implied Dynamics in Information Visualization,
Proceedings Advanced Visual Interfaces (AVI), pp. 215–222, 2010. (acceptance rate 20%)

Robert Kosara,
Turning a Table into a Tree: Growing Parallel Sets into a Purposeful Project,
in Steele, Iliinsky (eds), Beautiful Visualization, pp. 193–204, O'Reilly Media, 2010.

Caroline Ziemkiewicz, Robert Kosara,
Embedding Information Visualization Within Visual Representation,
in Ras, Ribarsky (eds), Advances in Information and Intelligent Systems, Studies in Computational Intelligence, Vol. 251, pp. 307–326, Springer Verlag, 2010.

Interactive Technology in the Carolinas: T-1 Visions Update

Interactive off-the-desktop technologies are taking off in many regions, including the Carolinas. I'd like to share some of this "post-WIMP" goodness with my readers.  There are lots of interesting things developing in my own backyard!

About a year ago, I wrote a post about T1 Visions, the company behind the interactive technology at the T1 Tapas restaurant in Huntersville, NC.  In May of this year (2010), Mike Feldman, the president of T1 Visions, LLC, and inventor of the T1 Connection Booth, participated in a panel discussion about innovative technologies for the restaurant sector at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago, Illinois.

The T1 Connection booth is an integrated system that includes a durable interactive multi-user touch screen table, powered by a mac. It also includes a high-quality audio system and high-definition video screen. It can accommodate a variety of mobile devices, such as iPods, iPhones, MP3 players, and laptops.  If you have digital photos, you can easily connect to the system and view them on the video screen.

The T1 Connection Booth was designed for use in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. In the Charlotte area, booths can be found at Harper's Restaurant in South Park, and soon will be ready for action at a new restaurant, Cowfish. According to a press release, the system is more affordable than the Microsoft Surface, and can be

The T1 Connection booth looks like it could be re-purposed for a variety of settings. I've experienced the T1 Connection Booth "hands on" a few times while visiting T1 Tapas, and I'm sure that it has potential for use in museums, libraries, and other public spaces.  T1Visions also provides high-definition display systems that coordinate with the T1 Connection booths.   T1 Vision's displays and digital signs are in use at the newly-opened NASCAR Hall of Fame museum, and also at the Charlotte Convention Center.


T1 Visions Touchscreen Experience


2009 Five Ventures Conference: T1 Visions, Inc.


The TechnoFiles, CNN Video Feature of T-1 Vision's High Tech Restaurant, T1 Tapas (2009):


RELATED
T1 Visions Website
T1 Tapas Website
Connection Booth Brochure (pdf)
High Definition Display Systems Brochure (pdf)
Post-WIMP links


Previous IMT post about T1 Tapas, July 16, 2009:
T1 Tapas, a restaurant north of Charlotte, N.C., in the Birkdale Village in Huntersville, has majority owners with a technology background. Mike Feldman and Jim Morris started up Digital Optics Corporation, which focused on optics for computers and imaging, and after they sold their company, they teamed up with Denise Feldman to establish their company.
T 1 Connection Booth with Multi-User Touch Screen, HD TV, Sound System, Computer, & more:

"T1 Connection Booth seating gives you access to music, photos, and videos through built-in touchscreen tabletops, brilliant monitors, speakers, and computers." -Picture and taken from the T 1 Tapas website

The restaraunt serves as a test bed for T 1 Visions to try out their software and hardware designed to enhance the digitally connected dining experience. The restaurant was featured in May of this year on CNN.

Interactive Technology in the Carolinas: Discovery Place Science Center

I recently visited the Discovery Place science center in Charlotte, N.C.  It was my first visit without kids, and I thought it would be fun to explore all of the exhibits at my own pace. I was excited to play with the interactive applications created for exhibits running on Microsoft's Surface table-top computers. There were so many kids and teens at Discovery Place that every exhibit was in use. Fortunately, I obtained permission from parents to videotape/photograph some of the action.

Next time, I'll make sure that I visit at a less-busy time!

The following displays were developed by the Microsoft Surface team at Quatrefoil.  Quatrefoil is a company located in Maryland that develops immersive interactive experiences, primarily for museum exhibits and related projects.

Midwife Toad App on a Microsoft Surface

Project Build Exhibit video, from the Quatrefoil YouTube website, helps people understand the architectural design process:

THEM exhibit, from the Quatrefoil YouTube site:

"This health-related exhibition at Discovery Place in Charlotte, NC, explores how the human body is an ecosystem with a myriad of flora and fauna. Visitors are presented with an exciting and educational experience. The content is delivered in a way that carefully walks the line between gross-out information and the need to keep the context within the human body...Quatrefoil Associates designed the exhibit and produced creative media including Attack of the Superbugs, a video about antibiotic-resistant bacteria." -Quatrefoil Associates

The Reactable at Discovery Place

Preview of the Official Boxee Video Streaming System: Digital Convergence in Action

In the following video, tech entrepreneur Zach Klein shows his company's official version of Boxee, a set-top box system that provides users a "plug-and-play" opportunity to view Web-based video on their televisions.


The first Boxee Box arrived from the D-Link Factory from Zach Klein on Vimeo.
Note:  Zach Klein is the co-founder of Vimeo.



Web video and content, viewed on a large-screen HD display, in the comfort of a cozy recliner or sofa, is in line with the "Slow Media" movement, as well as the concept behind Google's "YouTube Leanback" application (see links and info below).

Relax.  Share.  Interact.  Chill with your Web.

RELATED
Boxee Website
Boxee Readies Its Set-Top Box Nick Bilton, New York Times, 7/16/10
Boxee debuts Boxee Box, ready to take on Roku Jacob Brody, SocialBeat Venture, 12/7/09
Hands-On With the Boxee Set-Top Box and Remote Brian X. Chen, Wired Gadget Lab, 1/8/10
Designing for Interactive TV:  Boxee Case Study (Method)
Boxee and Digital Convergence Lynn Marentette, Interactive Multimedia Technology, 3/22/09


SOMEWHAT RELATED
Slow Media Manifesto
"The concept “Slow”, as in “Slow Food” and not as in “Slow Down”, is a key for this. Like “Slow Food”, Slow Media are not about fast consumption but about choosing the ingredients mindfully and preparing them in a concentrated manner. Slow Media are welcoming and hospitable. They like to share."
Google YouTube Leanback (Google)
YouTube Leanback offers effortless viewing (Google)
"YouTube Leanback a different way of watching videos on YouTube. Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained. Videos are tailored to autoplay as soon as you get started, in full screen and high definition, so watching YouTube becomes as effortless as watching TV. YouTube Leanback is simple to use, easy to navigate with your keyboard's arrow keys, and is personalized to your unique preferences."
YouTube's 'Leanback' Wants to Friend Your Television Remote Eliot Van Burskirk, Wired  7/8//10


Somewhat Related IMT Posts
All IMT posts referring to remote controls and usability (This will continue to be a problem as our digital streams converge)
Video and Links about Google TV: Another Flavor of Android - "Google TV brings everything you love about the Web to your television".
Designing for TV Screen Interaction:  Interesting IxDA Thread
Digital Convergence & Interactive Television
An Example of Convergence: Interactive TV - uxTV 2008

Interactions Magazine: Cover story by Dennis Littky, looking at the UX of high schools and colleges.

I'm out and about with no time to blog. Even so, I had to post a link to one of my favorite magazines, ACM's Interactions. Here is the introduction to the most recent issue, which comes with membership in ACM SIGCHI:

July / August, 2010

The cover story of a recent issue of Interactions Magazine is written by Dennis Littky, who focuses on ways to improve the success of our high schools and colleges, from a UX perspective:

Cover Story
Time Goes By, Everything Looks the Same. 
Dennis Littky
Full article for Free! 

More:

interactions: subtlety and change
Jon Kolko
Full article for Free! 

"There are some strange changes under way in our world. We constantly hear the refrain of the massive chaos around us, yet the allure of such a large, looming flux may distract us from something more important: the countless tiny, nuanced, and fundamental ways in which our culture and society are advancing. This issue of interactions describes these subtleties and teases them out of the greater topics that we've grown accustomed to discussing: environmental change, the role of education and government in a technological society, and the nature of behavior."

Click to continue reading this article.

Interference Inc. Looking for Interactive Engineer and Programmer, NYC, (via Seth Sandler and Christine Lane)

I don't usually post job listings on this website, but I know that this particular position would appeal to some of my readers!  The company, Interference Inc. is based in NYC,  The position starts out with a 3-month independent contractor position, but looks like it leads to a permanent position if all goes well.  Seth Sandler posted the job announcement on his blog.  The details are below, and the information can be downloaded from the corresponding link at the end of this post.

Company: Interference Inc.
Positions: We are looking for a PROGRAMMER and an INTERACTIVE ENGINEER
Position Type: Full-Time

Experience:
Candidates who have worked/have familiarity with multi-touch platforms previously and are eager to explore and learn more in a fast paced marketing/technology environment creating installations for major
global brands.

The position for the first 3 months is a probation period where the person is hired as an independent contractor and paid 1099. Depending on review and evaluation, the candidate is then hired full-time with
benefits: full medical, 401K, and 2 weeks of vacation.

Location: New York, NY
Start Date: ASAP

THE COMPANY
Interference Inc. is a world-renowned experiential marketing agency specializing in integrated, guerrilla and buzz marketing. Out of Interference, The SuperTouch Group was born in 2009, bringing creative technology offerings to the same impressive roster of clients. The SuperTouch mission is to generate wonder through simple, fun, entertaining and educational uses of interactive technology. We create innovative products for people to interact with technology in unique and compelling ways, and ideally away from the platforms that they are used to. SuperTouch develops Interactive Mirrors, touch surfaces, live gaming and creative custom technology builds as well as the back-end programming.

JOB SUMMARY
The Programmer and Interactive Engineer will report directly to the project’s Lead Engineer and to the Head of Production/Account. Qualified candidates should possess a couple of key skills itemized in the lists below.

PROGRAMMING SKILLS (Please specify where you are proficient)

• Proficiency with Flash/Flex/Actionscript 3, .NET/C#/WPF, Python, Java, C++ (or others, please specify)
• Knowledge of Computer Vision (OpenCV, Augmented Reality Frameworks)
• Knowledge of microcontrollers (arduino or similar) and working with sensors
• Proficiency with openFrameworks, processing, max/msp, or pd
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite including, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects
• Knowledge of computer networking

ENGINEERING SKILLS (Please specify where you are proficient)

• Experience in architecture, hardware design, and/or fabrication
• Ability to source, test and assess hardware for fabrication and to assemble working prototypes
• Experience in soldering, electronics, and lab testing
• Experience in interactive or touch technology with an emphasis in multi-touch computing

REQUIREMENTS

• Extremely organized individual who is a self-starter and able to learn quickly in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to think creatively, multi-task, and go beyond off-the-shelf solutions
• Strong logistical, time management and planning skills when implementing creative solutions for client deadlines
• The individual must be polished and professional and be prepared to interact with high level clientele onsite

Please note, the Interactive Engineer position may require travel to install, maintain, and breakdown
technologies across the U.S. as well as internationally. Candidates applying for the position must be able to
travel with the necessary documentation, willing to travel 1-2 times per month, and maintain a valid driver’s
license.

IF INTERESTED, PLEASE SUBMIT RESUMES TO: Christine Lane, Christine@interferenceinc.com

You can download and save the job description below:

Interferece Job Description 10_07_13 Supertouch Tech Description.doc

Date:	July 14, 2010