2026-07-21T11:21:31Z https://drops.dagstuhl.de/oai

oai:drops-oai.dagstuhl.de:24014 2025-12-12T15:06:58Z ddc:004 open_access

Understanding Time in Space: Improving Timeline Understandability for Uncrewed Space Systems Sloan, Elizabeth Rozier, Kristin Yvonne Human-Ceneterd Design Time-Oriented Data Visualization Uncrewed Spacecraft Operations Formal Methods 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. Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik Elizabeth Sloan and Kristin Yvonne Rozier 2025 Is Part Of OASIcs, Volume 130, Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025) InProceedings Text doc-type:ResearchArticle publishedVersion application/pdf doi:10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.24 urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-240143 https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.24 eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode