Information Visualization (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

B> This is the first fully integrated book on the emerging area of information visualization, incorporating dynamic examples on an accompanying website to complement the static representations within the book. Its emphasis is on real-world examples and applications of computer-generated/interactive information visualization. Readers will learn how to display information to: pick out key information from large data streams; present ideas clearly and effectively; and increase the usability and efficiency of computer systems. It takes a dynamic approach to the subject using software examples on an associated website. This book is appropriate for readers interested in information visualization, human-computer interaction, business information technology, and computer graphics

From the Back Cover

This is the first fully integrated book on the emerging area of information visualization, incorporating dynamic examples on an accompanying website to complement the static representations within the book. Its emphasis is on real-world examples and applications of computer-generated/interactive information visualization. Readers will learn how to display information to: pick out key information from large data streams; present ideas clearly and effectively; and increase the usability and efficiency of computer systems. It takes a dynamic approach to the subject using software examples on an associated website. This book is appropriate for readers interested in information visualization, human-computer interaction, business information technology, and computer graphics

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 1st edition (December 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201596261
• ISBN-13: 978-0201596267
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,469,159 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #19 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Graphic Design > Information Visualization
  #75 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Read Tufte again instead, September 24, 2001

By	Petter (Sweden) - See all my reviews

I'd really like to give the book one single star, the reason being that its title 'Information Visualization' puts greater demand on the way the book illustrates its concepts and thoughts. As the exhibits are often ugly, data-poor and most of the times situated on different pages than the text that refers to them (seems to me an absolute basic in this discipline), the reading of the book is not enjoyable but rather painful. Compare this to any of the works of Tufte.
The text is also not written with care (again, compare with Tufte), but instead in a (not very literate) over-scholarly fashion. Take, for example, this reference from page 146: "The World Wide Web is of enormous size and complexity (Bray, 1996)".
It gets a two-star rating because it actually compiles a number of computerized visualization models (when reading, skip the descriptions of the non-computerized - they lack analysis and insight) which can provide a starting point for further exploration of the field. However, I am in no way assured that this compilation is the best one, or even a very good one. I'll keep looking.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promises a lot- -doesnt quite deliver, April 3, 2003

By	Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is an overview textbook of information visualization techniques. The first chapter is very enticing- -it describes many visualization problems, and provides some historical examples of specific visualization techniques of the past. The rest of the book takes up assorted topics such as representation, internal models, and connectivity, and provides some examples of visualization techniques. Unfortunately, the text is too concise to be used for independent study. I found myself puzzled over how to interpret most of the new visualization techniques. For most of the techniques, Spence provides little or no guidance about interpretation, and few suggestions about how to make effective use of the techniques. An instructor who is a specialist in the subject would presumably be able to provide the missing information, but readers who pick up this book on their own might not be able to gain the information they are seeking. The publisher has also developed a companion Website for the book, with exercises and answers, dynamic examples, and OHPs for classroom use. It would have been nice, however, to also provide the materials on a CD-ROM for users who do not have continuous broadband access to the Net.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An easy and useful read for anybody who deals with data, February 28, 2001

By	Clint Steele (Australia) - See all my reviews

The book provides an overview of the methods and principles behind the presentation of information. I am not an expert in this area but I found that contents were easy to grasp and understand. This makes the book suitable for anybody who wants an easy to read introduction to the topic of information visualisation.

The book is written in in the first person and in such a way that it is in no way a task to read it and the extensive use of accompanying diagrams adds further to the ease of absorbing what is written. It is hard to imagine how you could not find at least one item that is of value or interest to you if you ever have to deal with data of some sort.

Chapter 9 provides many techniques to aid in the development of optimised reliable designs that would be found interesting by any design engineer. The examples that are used throughout the book are remarkably varied which as mentioned earlier would make this book interesting or of value to anybody who has to deal with data and its presentation.