The awareness of the importance of sustainability in the manufacturing industry has increased over the past decade. An integral aspect of sustainability is the focus on circularity. Implementing a circular economy within a manufacturing company involves reducing the reliance on virgin materials, minimising resource consumption, and recycling or reusing materials for further production. However, only a few companies have developed a clear visualisation of their circularity efforts targeted towards customers. This thesis aims to investigate the most effective methods for visualising circularity data and to create a design prototype for Sandvik Coromant, a prominent metal-cutting manufacturing company. The research approach involves conducting interviews, reviewing relevant literature on circularity and data visualisation, and conducting design tests for Sandvik Coromant’s prototype. The findings of this study indicate a growing demand for circularity visualization in customer relations at the company. Additionally, further research is required on circularity within the manufacturing industry. It was also discovered that adherence to established guidelines for graphical integrity and usability is crucial when developing interactive visualizations. Lastly, standardizing visualizations for multiple manufacturing companies proves challenging due to variations in data points and the diverse nature of circularity practices across companies. Developing a standardised visualisation for a company’s circularity efforts is significant from an ethical and commercial standpoint. While the design prototype created in this study can serve as a template, customisation to fit the specific needs and circularity work of each company is essential for its effectiveness. / Under det senaste deceniet har medvetenheten av vikten av hållbarhet inom tillverkningsindustrin ökat. En viktig del av detta hållbarhetsarbete är fokuset på cirkularitet. Att implementera en cirkulär ekonomi inom ett tillverkningsföretag innebär att reducera användningen av nytt material, minimera resursförbrukningen och återvinna eller återanvända material för ytterligare produktion. Dock har endast ett fåtal företag utvecklat en tydlig visualisering av sitt cirkularitetsarbete riktad mot kunder. Denna rapport syftar till att undersöka vilka metoder som är mest effektiva for denna typ av visualisering, samt att skapa en designprototyp till Sandvik Coromant, ett framstående företag i metallbearbetningsindustrin. Forskningsmetodiken innefattar intervjuer, granskning av relevant litteratur om cirkularitet och datavisualisering samt designtester för Sandvik Coromants prototyp. Resultatet indikerar en växande efterfrågan på visualisering av cirkularitet i kundrelationer på tillverkningsföretag. Vidare identifierades att mer forskning om cirkularitet krävs inom tillverkningsindustrin. Det upptäcktes även att använding av etablerade riktlinjer för grafisk integritet och användbarhet är avgörande vid utvecklingen av interaktiva visualiseringar. Slutligen, att standardisera visualiseringar för flera tillverkningsföretag visar sig vara mycket komplext. På grund av variationer i datapunkter och den varierande naturen hos cirkularitetspraxis mellan företag behöver visualiseringarna visa olika områden. Att utveckla en standardiserad visualisering av ett företags cirkularitetsarbete är viktigt både ur ett etiskt och kommersiellt perspektiv. Även om designprototypen som skapats i denna studie kan fungera som en mall för andra visualiseringar, är det nödvändigt att anpassa en design efter ett företags specifika behov och cirkularitetsarbete för dess effektivitet.

Visualisation, the representation of data in visual form, is at the core of our ability to communicate information. Without clear representation, data would remain in its raw form thus greatly hindering the communication process. This is especially the case when the data source is large, complex and subject to change. One such area is related to the use of computer based simulation tools for thermal analysis. This research investigates the potential of visualisation to improve the ways in which thermal analysis data are presented to building services engineers, with a view to increasing the accuracy and efficiency of its interpretation. The approach taken throughout followed a pattern of research, development, demonstration and evaluation. The research phase included a detailed review of existing visualisation theory and an extensive user requirement survey. The development phase produced three working visualisation software prototypes, each of which was demonstrated or evaluated within the sponsoring company. Whilst the initial emphasis of the research was advanced Three-Dimensional (3D) visualisation, extensive user requirement analysis indicated that comparing multiple datasets in an intuitive manner was more important. In response, the research focused on combining techniques in ways which supported the rapid comparison of multiple files and the data contained within. The final prototype combines techniques for data storage and manipulation with information visualisation techniques and advanced 3D graphics. These elements are tightly integrated within a single application that facilitates the management and interpretation of data from multiple analysis models. Evaluation of the prototype showed high levels of user satisfaction and improvements in the accuracy and efficiency of data interpretation. The techniques demonstrated by the prototype were also understood and liked by the users of thermal analysis tools. Several of the techniques, such as the new Force Directed Difference Diagrams, have potential applications outside of building services engineering. The research has demonstrated it is possible to improve the representation and interpretation of building performance data using visualisation techniques.

Aujourd'hui, avec la connexion présente en tout lieu et à tout instant, des données considérables naissent. Ces données ou data deviennent un acteur clé pour la compréhension, l'analyse, l'anticipation et la résolution des grands problèmes économiques, politiques, sociaux et scientifiques. Les data changent aussi nos procédures de travail, notre environnement culturel, allant même jusqu'à restructurer notre manière de penser. Et à peine que le monde scientifique, manageriel et financier, s'intéresse au Big Data, qu'une nouvelle discipline est en train de monter en puissance : le Fast Data. Outre le volume saillant de données ; une autre variante devient décisive, la capacité de traiter à vitesse efficiente les données dans toute leur diversité, de les transformer en connaissances en fournissant la bonne information à la bonne personne et au bon moment, voire les utiliser pour prédire l'avenir. L'exploitation de Big Data nécessite la proposition de nouvelles approches mathématiques et informatiques adaptées mais aussi une réingénierie des approches managériales pour la maîtrise de l'environnement informationnel d'un organisme public ou privé. Tout en se basant sur une démarche de management stratégique d'information comme l'Intelligence Économique (IE). Cette dernière combine et englobe les techniques de Business Intelligence pour la maîtrise des données internes et les techniques de veille stratégique pour la surveillance et la maitrise des flux d'informations externe. Cependant, le Big Data, comme source d'information sans limite pour l'IE, a bouleversé le processus traditionnel de l'IE, ce qui demande une réingénierie de la démarche d'IE. Mes travaux de recherche s'inscrivent parfaitement dans ce contexte caractérisé par un environnement incertain et imprévisible. Dans l'objectif principal est de proposer un nouveau système d'IE (SIE) pour l'analyse de Big Data. Donc, comment peut-on adapter la démarche d'IE à la nouvelle ère moderne de Big Data ? Dans lequel les organismes publics ou privés se trouvent submergés par l'information. Une première réponse, fait l'objet de ma contribution sur la proposition d'un nouveau SIE nommé XEW 2.0, qui se base sur une architecture Big Data orientée service, agile et modulable. L'architecture décisionnelle de XEW 2.0, se compose de quatre services : le Service de Sourcing (SS-XEW), le Service de Data Warehousing (SDW-XEW), le Service de Big Data Analytics (SBDA-XEW) et le Service de Big Data Visualisation (SBDV-XEW). Chaque service est vu comme une composante indépendante qui doit rendre un service bien précis aux autres composantes de XEW 2.0. / In the information era, people's lives are deeply impacted by IT due to the exposure of social networks, emails, RSS feeds, chats, white papers, web pages, etc. Such data are considered very valuable for companies since they will help them in improving their strategies, analyzing their customers' trends or their competitors' marketing interventions is a simple and obvious example. Also, with the advent of the era of Big Data, organizations can obtain information about the dynamic environment of the markets by analyzing consumer's reactions, preferences, opinions and rating on various social media and other networking platforms. Thus, the companies should be equipped with the consciousness of competitive intelligence (CI), and grasp the key points of CI, with setting up an efficient and simple competitive intelligence system adapted to support Big Data. The objective of this thesis is to introduce a new architectural model of Big Data collecting, analyzing and using, named XEW 2.0. This system operates according to four principal steps, where each of which has a dedicated service : (i) XEW sourcing service (XEW-SS), allows searching, collecting, and processing the data from different sources ; (ii) XEW data warehousing services (XEW-DWS) : This brings a unified view of the target corpus and then, creates a data warehouse accessible from the analytics and visualization services ; (iii) XEW Big Data Analytics service (XEW-BDAS) : allows for making multidimensional analyses by adapting data mining algorithms to Big Data ; (iv) XEW Big Data Visualization service (XEW-BDVS) : allows visualizing Big Data in the form of innovative design and graphs representing, for instance, social networks, semantic networks, strategic alliances networks, etc.

La notion de trajectoire fait l'objet de nombreux travaux en informatique. La trajectoire de vie a plusieurs particularités qui la distinguent des trajectoires habituellement considérées dans ces travaux. C'est d'abord son emprise temporelle, qui est celle de la vie, de l'existence du sujet observé. C'est ensuite son emprise thématique, celle-ci pouvant potentiellement concerner de multiples aspects de la vie d'un objet ou d'un individu. C'est enfin, l'utilisation métaphorique du terme de trajectoire, qui renvoie davantage au sens de la trajectoire qu'à la description d'une simple évolution dans le temps et l'espace. La trajectoire de vie est utilisée par l'expert (sociologue, urbaniste...) qui souhaite mettre en perspective dans le temps les informations sur les individus pour mieux les comprendre. Les motivations d'étude de la trajectoire de vie sont différentes selon les cas d'application et les thématiques considérées : le rapport au travail, la vie familiale, la vie sociale, la santé, la trajectoire résidentielle...Nous proposons une approche d'étude des trajectoires de vie, basée sur le Web Sémantique, qui en permet la modélisation, la collecte et l'analyse. Cette approche est concrétisée par une architecture logicielle. Cette architecture repose sur un patron de conception d'ontologie de trajectoire de vie, ainsi que sur un modèle de facteurs explicatifs d'évènements de vie. Pour la modélisation,nous avons conçu des algorithmes qui permettent la création d'une ontologie de trajectoire de vie en exploitant le patron et le modèle précédents. Pour lacollecte de données, nous avons développé des APIs permettant de faciliter i)la construction d'une interface de collecte de données conforme aux modéles ;ii) l'insertion des données collectées dans un Triple Store. Notre approche permet la représentation, et, par suite, la collecte et l'exploitation d'informations multi-granulaires, qu'elles soient spatiales, temporelles ou thématiques.Enfin, pour permettre l'analyse des trajectoires, nous proposons des fonctions génériques, implémentées en étendant le langage SPARQL. L'approche méthodologique et les outils proposés sont validés sur un cas d'application visant à étudier les choix résidentiels d'individus en mettant en exergue les caractéristiques de leur trajectoire résidentielle et les éléments explicatifs de celle-ci. / The notion of trajectory is the subject of many works in computer science. The life trajectory has several peculiarities which distinguish it from the trajectories usually considered in these works. It is first of all its temporal hold, which is the life, the existence of the observed subject. It is then its thematic hold, this one potentially concerning multiple aspects of the life of an object or an individual. Finally, it is the metaphorical use of the term trajectory, which refers more to the meaning of the trajectory than to the description of a simple evolution in time and space. The life trajectory is used by the expert (sociologist, urban planner ...) who wishes to put in perspective the information on individuals to better understand their choices. The motivations for studying the life trajectory are depending on the application and themes considered: the relation to work and employment, family life, social life, health, residential trajectory ...We propose a Semantic Web based approach to study life trajectories, which allows their modeling, collection and analysis. This approach is embodied by a software architecture whose components are configurable for each application case. This architecture is based on a life trajectory ontology design pattern, as well as a model of explanatory factors for life events. To operationalize the proposed modeling, we designed algorithms that allow the creation of a life trajectory ontology by exploiting the previous pattern and model. For data collection, we developed APIs to facilitate i) the construction of a model-compliant data collection interface; and ii) the insertion of the collected data into a Triple Store. Our approach allows the representation, and hence the collection and exploitation of multi-granular information, whether spatial, temporal or thematic. Finally, to allow the analysis of the trajectories, we propose generic functions, which are implemented by extending the SPARQL language.The methodological approach and the proposed tools are validated on a case study on residential choices of individuals in the Grenoble metropolitan area by highlighting the characteristics of their residential trajectory and the explanatory elements of it, including from their personal and professional trajectories.

Nous entendons beaucoup parler de Big Data, Open Data, Social Data, Scientific Data, etc. L’importance qui est apportée aux données en général est très élevée. L’analyse de ces données est importante si l’objectif est de réussir à en extraire de la valeur pour pouvoir les utiliser. Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse concernent la compréhension, l’évaluation, la correction/modification, la gestion et finalement l’intégration de données, pour permettre leur exploitation. Notre recherche étudie exclusivement les données ouvertes (DOs - Open Data) et plus précisément celles structurées sous format tabulaire (CSV). Le terme Open Data est apparu pour la première fois en 1995. Il a été utilisé par le groupe GCDIS (Global Change Data and Information System) (États-Unis) pour encourager les entités, possédant les mêmes intérêts et préoccupations, à partager leurs données [Data et System, 1995]. Le mouvement des données ouvertes étant récent, il s’agit d’un champ qui est actuellement en grande croissance. Son importance est actuellement très forte. L’encouragement donné par les gouvernements et institutions publiques à ce que leurs données soient publiées a sans doute un rôle important à ce niveau. / We hear a lot about Big Data, Open Data, Social Data, Scientific Data, etc. The importance currently given to data is, in general, very high. We are living in the era of massive data. The analysis of these data is important if the objective is to successfully extract value from it so that they can be used. The work presented in this thesis project is related with the understanding, assessment, correction/modification, management and finally the integration of the data, in order to allow their respective exploitation and reuse. Our research is exclusively focused on Open Data and, more precisely, Open Data organized in tabular form (CSV - being one of the most widely used formats in the Open Data domain). The first time that the term Open Data appeared was in 1995 when the group GCDIS (Global Change Data and Information System) (from United States) used this expression to encourage entities, having the same interests and concerns, to share their data [Data et System, 1995]. However, the Open Data movement has only recently undergone a sharp increase. It has become a popular phenomenon all over the world. Being the Open Data movement recent, it is a field that is currently growing and its importance is very strong. The encouragement given by governments and public institutions to have their data published openly has an important role at this level.

Suite à l’amélioration des outils de capture et de stockage des données, ces dernières années ont vu les quantités de données à traiter croître énormément. De nombreux travaux, allant du traitement automatique à la visualisation d’information, ont alors été mis en place, mais certains domaines sont encore trop spécifiques pour en profiter. C’est le cas du Renseignement d’Origine ÉlectroMagnétique (ROEM). Ce domaine ne fait pas uniquement face à de grandes quantités de données mais doit aussi gérer des données et des usages complexes ainsi que des populations d’utilisateurs ayant de moins en moins d’expérience. Dans cette thèse nous nous sommes intéressés à l’usage de l’existant et des nouvelles technologies appliquées à la visualisation pour proposer des solutions à la combinaison de problématiques comme les données en grandes quantité et les données complexes. Nous commençons par présenter une analyse du domaine du ROEM qui a permis d’extraire les problématiques auxquelles il doit faire face. Nous nous intéressons ensuite aux solutions gérant les combinaisons de telles problématiques. L’existant ne contenant pas directement de telles solutions, nous nous intéressons alors à la description des problématiques de visualisation et proposons une caractérisation de ces problématiques. Cette caractérisation nous permet de décrire les représentations existantes et de mettre en place un outil de recommandation des représentations basé sur la façon dont l’existant résout les problématiques. Enfin nous nous intéressons à identifier de nouvelles métaphores pour compléter l’existant et proposons une représentation immersive permettant de résoudre les problématiques du ROEM. Ces contributions permettent d’analyser et d’utiliser l’existant et approfondissent l’usage des représentations immersives pour la visualisation d’information. / As a result of the improvement of data capture and storage, recent years have seen the amount of data to be processed increase dramatically. Many studies, ranging from automatic processing to information visualization, have been performed, but some areas are still too specific to take advantage of. This is the case of ELectromagnetic INTelligence(ELINT). This domain does not only deal with a huge amount of data but also has to handle complex data and usage as well as populations of users with less and less experience. In this thesis we focus on the use of existing and new technologies applied to visualization to propose solutions to the combination of issues such as huge amount and complex data. We begin by presenting an analysis of the ELINT field which made it possible to extract the issues that it must faces. Then, we focus on the visual solutions handling the combinations of such issues but the existing work do not contain directly such solutions. Therefore, we focus on the description of visual issues and propose a characterization of these issues. This characterization allows us to describe the existing representations and to build a recommendation tool based on how the existing work solves the issues. Finally, we focus on identifying new metaphors to complete the existing work and propose an immersive representation to solve the issues of ELINT. These contributions make it possible to analyze and use the existing and deepen the use of immersive representations for the visualization of information.

When developing a new system, it is a good idea to involve the end users from the start to prevent usability issues. This thesis has evaluated how one can develop a data visualisation system for the sawmill industry with a focus on user experience.  Semi-structured interviews with a snowball sample approach were used to acquire the demands of the end users. From these demands, paper prototypes were developed and then evaluated. Data on these prototypes were collected iteratively with the help of usability tests. This was done to understand how pleased users were when using the product but also to evaluate how efficiently they used it. Metrics have been used to measure the user experience of the product with both the paper prototypes and a hi-fi prototype, also described as the alpha prototype.  The conclusion answers the two research questions asked in this thesis. It concludes that the interview technique used in this thesis gave a good understanding of what information the users were interested in. Regarding measuring user experience, usability issues have been detected and reduced for each iteration, which indirectly results in a higher efficiency since the number of confusions are reduced. Something that can be seen from the system usability scale tests is that the high scores (about 89) they generated indicate that the users are pleased. With the different metrics used in this thesis, the conclusions are that the fewer the obstacles are for the user, the less annoyed they are when using the product and in turn perform their goals faster.

This study explores the conceptual relationship between design aesthetics and Aristotelian rhetoric in the context of information visualisation. Aesthetics and rhetorical theory are traditionally studied as separate discourses, but conceptual links between these fields are identified, specifically in terms of communicative goals and strategies. This study therefore compares selected theories on design aesthetics and Aristotelian rhetoric in information visualisation in order to ascertain whether a combined framework may be feasible. Although information visualisation is traditionally practiced from software engineering disciplines, this study frames the practice within the broader field of information design. The democratisation of the field of information visualisation and the emerging practices that emphasise the aesthetic value of visualisations is explored. In order to understand what is meant by the term ‘aesthetic’, a variety of both classical and contemporary views on aesthetics theory is investigated. Even though the term ‘aesthetic’ is not defined, a broad understanding is created by identifying the main conceptual themes in discourse. A specific focus is placed on understanding aesthetics in a design context, since there are many misconceptions about ‘aesthetics’ in this context. The idea that aesthetics relates to the communication of artifacts is explored, which provides a point of departure in linking aesthetics and rhetorical theory. The communicative nature of information visualisations is thus explored in relation to visual rhetorical theory. Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals, namely logos, pathos and ethos, form the backbone of the visual rhetorical analysis of visualisation artifacts. The aesthetic and rhetorical theories explored throughout the study are compared by applying them to Charles Joseph Minard’s seminal information visualisation of Napoleon’s march to Moscow. This comparative analysis considers the traditional divide between aesthetics and rhetorical theory but identifies sufficient conceptual links between the discourses to suggest that a combined aesthetic-rhetorical framework for information visualisation may indeed be practical. Lastly, the wider implications and potential value of such a combined framework is considered within a broader design context. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Visual Arts / unrestricted

Big Data är i dagsläget ett populärt ämne som kan användas för en mängd olika syften. Bland annat kan det användas för att analysera data på webben i hopp om att identifiera brott mot mänskliga rättigheter. Genom att tillämpa tekniker inom områden som Artificiell Intelligens (AI), Information Retrieval (IR) samt data- visualisering, hoppas företaget Globalworks AB kunna identifiera röster vilka uttrycker sig om förtryck och kränkningar i social media. Artificiell intelligens och informationshämtning är dock breda områden och forskning som behandlar dem kan finnas långt tillbaka i tiden. Vi har därför valt att utföra en systematisk litteraturstudie i syfte att kartlägga existerande forskning inom dessa områden. Med en litterär sammanställning bistår vi med en ontologisk överblick i hur ett system som använder dessa tekniker är strukturerat, med vilka metoder och teknologier ett sådant system kan utvecklas, samt hur dessa kan kombineras. / Big Data is a popular topic these days which can be utilized for numerous purposes. It can, for instance, be used in order to analyse data made available online in hopes of identifying violations against human rights. By applying techniques within such areas as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Retrieval (IR), and Visual Analytics, the company Globalworks Ltd. aims to identify single voices in social media expressing grievances concerning such violations. Artificial Intelligence and Information Retrieval are broad topics however, and have been an active area of research for quite some time. We have therefore chosen to conduct a systematic literature review in hopes of mapping together existing research covering these areas. By presenting a literary compilation, we provide an ontological view of how an information system utilizing techniques within these areas could be structured, in addition to how such a system could deploy said techniques.

No / This volume contains the papers presented at Computer Graphics International 2002, in July, at the University of Bradford, UK. These papers represent original research in computer graphics from around the world.