A Review of Geospatial Content in IEEE Visualization Publications

Abstract

Geospatial analysis is crucial for addressing many of the world’s most pressing challenges. Given this, there is immense value in improving and expanding the visualization techniques used to communicate geospatial data. In this work, we explore this important intersection – between geospatial analytics and visualization – by examining a set of recent IEEE VIS Conference papers (a selection from 2017-2019) to assess the inclusion of geospatial data and geospatial analyses within these papers. After removing the papers with no geospatial data, we organize the remaining literature into geospatial data domain categories and provide insight into how these categories relate to VIS Conference paper types. We also contextualize our results by investigating the use of geospatial terms in IEEE Visualization publications over the last 30 years. Our work provides an understanding of the quantity and role of geospatial subject matter in recent IEEE VIS publications and supplies a foundation for future meta-analytical work around geospatial analytics and geovisualization that may shed light on opportunities for innovation.

Publication
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Xiaojie Gao
Xiaojie Gao
he/him/his
PhD Candidate, 2019-2023

PhD candidate at Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University.

Ian McGregor
Ian McGregor
he/him/his
PhD Student, 2019-2023

I am a PhD candidate with the Center for Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University.