Georgi Kobilarov wrote:
Hi Kingsley,
Is this an apropos or an insight addition?
My entire position about Linked Data solutions is centered on "User
Interaction". Note, I said: "Visualizations are good, but graph
visualizations are not the sole keys to the treasures that reside
within
a Graph".
True.
Well, my point was that I got the impression that you've characterized
David's interface as a graph visualizer. Which is, imho, not correct.
My only issue with Davids work is: "javascript:{}" where there should be
a URI or URL. That's it.
And I'd like to highlight the distinction between visualizations and
interaction models. The core of every interface is the interaction
model. On top of that, there might be specific visualizations.
The problem is that most graph UIs I know are based on the "one resource
at a time" interaction model. It's the interaction model of the current
web, where a resource is a web page, and users interact by looking at
one page (reading it), and browsing from one page to another. That
interaction model underlies all current linked data browsers (Tabulator,
Disco, etc.). Some UIs use a graph visualization on top, but the
interaction model remains the same. (As a side note, I think that
visualizing a data as a graph is useless. Why using a 2-dimensional
layout where both dimensions are undefined?)
But the real magic happens when you change to interaction model, and
users can interact with multiple resources at a time. David has shown
some excellent examples. Exhibit provided a faceted filtering
interaction for graph data. And Parallax now demonstrates a solution to
graph browsing.
That is part of the magic. There are no panaceas.
Another part of the magic is the freedom to flip modes i.e., access to
data behind the pretty pages (or other modes of UI).
Give users the "option" to use their own cognitive skills to interact
with the data (e.g. pivot, project, and traverse based on their own
specific needs).
Give users as few options as possible, and design them in a way, that
users do not have to use their cognitive skills.
Please re-read your comments.
In my world view, I don't assume I am smarter than your hypothetical
"Users".
In my world view, I seek to stimulate and arouse the cognitive skills of
the users (those who encounter my work).
In my world view, I don't assume I have all the answers.
In my world view, I believe that harnessing collective intelligence is
the ultimate gift of the Web.
Cognition is what makes our world tick. It's what guarantees innovation
in a timeless continuum. People have to think outside the box or we
stagnate and then regress.
Programmers cannot acquire the domain expertise
of an alien domain.
They should. Or at least have an interaction designer supporting them.
An excellent programmer and an excellent interaction designer cannot
surmount stimulating cognitive power. What you describe is a futile
quest (imho). Ironically, you left out systems designers, architects,
and data analysts amongst others. Even the sum of all of the missing
parts still won't get you close.
Kingsley
Best,
Georgi
--
Georgi Kobilarov
Freie Universität Berlin
www.georgikobilarov.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Kingsley Idehen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 2:25 PM
To: Georgi Kobilarov
Cc: [email protected]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: freebase parallax: user interface for browsing graphs of
data
Georgi Kobilarov wrote:
Kingsley,
Visualizations are good, but graph visualizations are not the sole
keys
to the treasures that reside within a Graph.
It's not about graph visualization. It's about user interaction for
graph-based data.
Georgi,
Is this an apropos or an insight addition?
My entire position about Linked Data solutions is centered on "User
Interaction". Note, I said: "Visualizations are good, but graph
visualizations are not the sole keys to the treasures that reside
within
a Graph".
I regard "Data Access" as part of "User Interaction". This is why
the
OpenLink Data Explorer extension (for instance) simply adds the
ability
to "View | Linked Data Sources" to its host browser. All it is really
doing is providing the user with a route to a beachead from which a
query could be beamed (i.e. SPARQL + Full Text under the covers across
the data sources in it's history).
Give users the "option" to use their own cognitive skills to interact
with the data (e.g. pivot, project, and traverse based on their own
specific needs).
We are repeating a long history of not understanding intersection of
"User Interaction" and "User Cognitive Skills" if we don't provide
routes to the data behind subject projections. This matter has been
the
same since advent of the IT era:
1. Executive Information Systems (what used to be called EIS)
2. Report Writing Systems (Cognos, Crystal Repors, Business Objects,
Brio, Forest & Trees, I can go on, used and worked with all of them)
3. Dektop Productivity Tools (Access, MS Query, Paradox, and many
more)
"User Interaction" is a about a rich set of options that provide
outlets
for cognitive prowess. Programmers cannot acquire the domain expertise
of an alien domain.
BTW - I also gave an "User Interaction & Linked Data" talk / demo [2]
at
the most recent Cambridge Semantic Web Gathering.
Links
1. http://ode.openlinksw.com
2. http://tinyurl.com/5pvbcz -- a presentation remixing presentations
by TimBL and I from LDP (focus on slides 14 to 21 as this is what ODE
is
all about revealing to the user as a Linked Data interaction option)
Kingsley
Georgi
--
Georgi Kobilarov
Freie Universität Berlin
www.georgikobilarov.com
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On
Behalf Of Kingsley Idehen
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 8:43 PM
To: Richard H. McCullough
Cc: David Huynh; [email protected]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: freebase parallax: user interface for browsing graphs
of
data
Richard H. McCullough wrote:
Very nice!!!
How is your knowledge base structured? What language?
Can I download your program to my computer?
Dick McCullough
Ayn Rand do speak od mKR done;
mKE do enhance od Real Intelligence done;
knowledge := man do identify od existent done;
knowledge haspart proposition list;
http://mKRmKE.org/
David,
For purpose of clarity and broader discourse (I know we've been
over
this in private), what is the Linked Data and/or Semantic Web
oriented
value of this very cool visualization?
Put differently, it would be nice if I could beam a query down the
data
graph exposed by you very nice visualization rather than being
confined
to the options presented by your application.
At the very least, what's the harm in exposing the Freebase URLs in
these Web Pages? If you do that, at the very least, other user
agents
can do stuff with the graphs (Linked Data) that you are
visualizing.
The cost of this little tweak is extremely low and the upside
extremely
high.
Cool stuff for sure, but I would like Parallax to be a nice Linked
Data
Web contribution also :-) Freebase (basic) is part of the Web, but
Parallax is sort of confining me to a Freebase enclave by not
exposing
URLs (where I currently see: javascript:{}).
My fundamental argument remains this:
Visualizations are good, but graph visualizations are not the sole
keys
to the treasures that reside within a Graph. Effective traversal
(e.g.
query beaming SPARQL or MQL) is also part of the puzzle, and it
would
be
nice if we could always offer the visualization and the
graph-query-beam-beachhead as part of a single Web information
resource
deliverable. There are always reasons why one or more humans (due
inherent cognitive prowess) would seek to view the same data
differently, no matter how compelling the initial visualization,
due
to
the fact that data visualizations are inherently subjective
projections.
Links:
1. http://tinyurl.com/5of2qu - Abraham Lincoln as Linked Data from
Freebase ( I get no triples with Parallax pages since the Freebase
Data
Sources aren't exposed)
Note: The Freebase RDFization Cartridge (Wrapper, Scrapper etc.)
will
be
better i.e., right now there are too many literal property values
that
should be URIs (this fix is coming). Ditto proper lookup driven
meshing
with DBpedia.
Kingsley
----- Original Message ----- From: "David Huynh"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 3:11 PM
Subject: freebase parallax: user interface for browsing graphs of
data
Hi all,
I've been exploring some user interface ideas for browsing graphs
(of
data in Freebase) in a user-friendly way, which I think might be
applicable to some of the data that you have. The screencast
should
explain:
http://mqlx.com/~david/parallax/
Please let me know what you think!
Thank you.
David
--
Regards,
Kingsley Idehen Weblog:
http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen
President & CEO
OpenLink Software Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
--
Regards,
Kingsley Idehen Weblog:
http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen
President & CEO
OpenLink Software Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
--
Regards,
Kingsley Idehen Weblog: http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen
President & CEO
OpenLink Software Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
