Exploring the Design Space of Immersive Urban Analytics
This work addresses the need for systematic design principles in urban analytics using immersive devices, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing visualization concepts.
The authors tackled the problem of characterizing visualizations in immersive urban analytics by proposing a theoretical model and typology of 2D/3D visualization combination methods, including linked, embedded, and mixed views, along with a guideline for selecting appropriate views based on visual geometry and spatial distribution.
Recent years have witnessed the rapid development and wide adoption of immersive head-mounted devices, such as HTC VIVE, Oculus Rift, and Microsoft HoloLens. These immersive devices have the potential to significantly extend the methodology of urban visual analytics by providing critical 3D context information and creating a sense of presence. In this paper, we propose an theoretical model to characterize the visualizations in immersive urban analytics. Further more, based on our comprehensive and concise model, we contribute a typology of combination methods of 2D and 3D visualizations that distinguish between linked views, embedded views, and mixed views. We also propose a supporting guideline to assist users in selecting a proper view under certain circumstances by considering visual geometry and spatial distribution of the 2D and 3D visualizations. Finally, based on existing works, possible future research opportunities are explored and discussed.