Nippun's presentation at the SYDE Grad seminar

With the increase in complexity and volume of geospatial data, it has become challenging for data analytics to comprehend data especially when it connects to certain point in space and time. One approach will be to overlay the complex data on a digital map but there are certain restrictions to achieve that in a collaborative setting. The amount of data that can be overlaid is limited by screen size and visualizing this data effectively without obstructing the overall geographic layout. With advancement in digital tabletop technology, it is now possible to overlay data onto a digital map, but still there are limited ways to visually explore the data. 

This research focuses on comparing direct and indirect exploration techniques of analyzing geospatial data on a tablet, which is semantically overlaid on a digital tabletop. A collaborative sensemaking task will be used as a method of studying how participants perform using both direct and indirect techniques. The goal will be to analyze which technique offers more flexibility and is more effective to solve a sensemaking task in a collaborative environment. Mixed method approach will be used to analyze results, measuring various factors like task performance (finding key facts and insights in sensemaking task), cognitive demand, mental model, ergonomic, and situational awareness.