Using Transparency in Visualization

Candidate: Billy Chi-kai Cheung
Type: Master of Science (MSc), School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Date: November 22, 2011
Senior Supervisor: Dr. Lyn Bartram
Thesis: Download Thesis Document

Abstract

Over the last two decades, there have been a growing number of applications for transparency in visualization.  Transparency is a visual feature that provides solutins to certain fundamental visualization problems.  Currently, there is insufficient research regarding the benefits and the limitations of using transparency in visualization.  The lack of research on this topic becomes more apparent when we compare the amount of research done towards applying colour in visualization.

This thesis attempts to connect the research in perceptual transparency and the use of transparency in visualization. The first part of this thesis reviews prior research in perceptual transparency; different types of existing visualizations were analyzed using research from perceptual transparency.  The final part of this study applies transparency in a grid structure; the study is built on previous research with Just Attendable Difference (JAD) for reference structure, examining factors of grid colours, image type and the density of the data structure.