A picture is worth a thousand words, we often say, yet many areas are in demand of sophisticated visualization techniques, and the Semantic Web is not an exception. The size and complexity of ontologies and Linked Data in the Semantic Web constantly grows and the diverse backgrounds of the users and application areas multiply at the same time. Providing users with visual representations and intuitive interaction techniques can significantly aid the exploration and understanding of the domains and knowledge represented by ontologies and Linked Data.
Ontology visualization is not a new topic and a number of approaches have become available in recent years, with some being already well-established, particularly in the field of ontology modeling. In other areas of ontology engineering, such as ontology alignment and debugging, although several tools have been developed, few provide a graphical user interface, not to mention navigational aids or comprehensive visualization and interaction techniques.
In the presence of a huge network of interconnected resources, one of the challenges faced by the Linked Data community is the visualization of multidimensional datasets to provide for efficient overview, exploration and querying tasks, to mention just a few. With the focus shifting from a Web of Documents to a Web of Data, changes in the interaction paradigms are in demand as well. Novel approaches also need to take into consideration the technological challenges and opportunities given by new interaction contexts, ranging from mobile, touch, and gesture interaction to visualizations on large displays, and encompassing highly responsive web applications.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution but different use cases demand different visualization and interaction techniques. Ultimately, providing better user interfaces, visual representations and interaction techniques will foster user engagement and likely lead to higher quality results in different applications employing ontologies and proliferate the consumption of Linked Data.
Special Theme & Topics of Interest
This year, we plan to have a dedicated look on empirical evidence on the benefits and limitations of visualizations and interactions in the context of the Semantic Web. We are particularly interested in success and failure stories, in learning which visualization and interaction approaches work and which do not - to which extent and in which contexts. We would like to hear about novel research findings and insights, backed with empirical data from user studies and use cases. Submissions addressing this special theme could include one or more of the following:
- success stories
- failure stories
- empirical studies
We also welcome other research contributions providing empirical evidence that advances the field.
Apart from that - and as in the last years -, we are looking for submissions addressing one or more of the following topics, subjects, and contexts (or related ones):
- Topics:
- visualizations
- user interfaces
- visual analytics
- requirements analysis
- case studies
- user evaluations
- cognitive aspects
- Subjects:
- ontologies
- linked data
- ontology engineering (development, collaboration, ontology design patterns, alignment, debugging, evolution, provenance, etc.)
- Contexts:
- classical interaction contexts (desktop, keyboard, mouse, etc.)
- novel interaction contexts (mobile, touch, gesture, etc.)
- special settings (large, high-resolution, and multiple displays, etc.)
- specific user groups and needs (people with disabilities, domain experts, etc.)
Aachen, Germany: CEUR Workshop Proceedings , 2018. , p. 77
Fourth International Workshop on Visualization and Interaction for Ontologies and Linked Data