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Understanding Time in Space: Improving Timeline Understandability for Uncrewed Space Systems

Authors Elizabeth Sloan , Kristin Yvonne Rozier

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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in visualization
  • Human-centered computing → Visualization theory, concepts and paradigms
Keywords
  • Human-Ceneterd Design
  • Time-Oriented Data Visualization
  • Uncrewed Spacecraft Operations
  • Formal Methods

Metrics

Abstract

Timelines are critical in space exploration. Timelines facilitate planning, resource management, and automation of uncrewed missions. As NASA and other space agencies increasingly rely on timelines for autonomous spacecraft operations, ensuring their understandability and verifiability is essential for mission success. However, interdisciplinary design teams face challenges in interpreting timelines due to variations in cultural and educational backgrounds, leading to communication barriers and potential system mismatches. This work-in-progress research explores time-oriented data visualizations to improve timeline comprehension in space systems. We contribute (1) a survey of visualization techniques, identifying patterns and gaps in historic time-oriented data visualizations and industry tools, (2) a focus group pilot study analyzing user interpretations of timeline visualizations, and (3) a novel method for visualizing aggregate runs of a timeline on a complex system, including identification of key features for usability of aggregate-data visuals. Our findings inform future visualization strategies for debugging and verifying timelines in uncrewed systems. While focused on space, this research has broader implications for aerospace, robotics, and emergency response systems.

Cite As Get BibTex

Elizabeth Sloan and Kristin Yvonne Rozier. Understanding Time in Space: Improving Timeline Understandability for Uncrewed Space Systems. In Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 130, pp. 24:1-24:12, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025) https://doi.org/10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.24

Author Details

Elizabeth Sloan
  • Human-Computer Interaction, Laboratory For Temporal Logic, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Kristin Yvonne Rozier
  • Department of Aerospace Engineering, Laboratory For Temporal Logic, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

Funding

This work is supported by the NASA Cooperative Agreement Number 80NSSC24M0199. This work is partially supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2152117. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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