Integrating Semantics into the Visualization Process

Most of today's visualization systems give the user considerable control over the visualization process. Many parameters might be changed until the obtention of a satisfactory visualization. The visualization process is a very complex exploration activity and, even for skilled users, it can be difficult to arrive at an effective visualization. We propose the construction of a visualization prototype to assist users and designers throughout the stages of the visualization process, and the integration of such process with a reasoning procedure that allows the configuration of the visualization, based on the entailed conclusions. We are working on a formal representation of the Visualization field. We aim to establish a common visualization vocabulary, include the underlying semantics, and enable the definition of visualization specifications that can be executed by a visualization engine with ontological support. An ontological description of a visualization should be enough to specify the visualization and, thus, to generate a runtime environment that is able to bring that visualization to life. The visualization ontology defines the vocabulary. With the addition of inference rules to the system, we can derive conclusions about visualization properties that allow to enhance the visualization, and guide the user throughout the entire process toward an effective result.