Visualizing sets to reveal relationships between constituent elements is a complex representational problem. Recent research presents several automated placement and grouping techniques to highlight connections between set elements. However, these techniques do not scale well for sets with cardinality greater than one hundred elements. We present OnSet, an interactive, scalable visualization technique for representing large-scale binary set data. The visualization technique defines a single, combined domain of elements for all sets, and models each set by the elements that it both contains and does not contain. OnSet employs direct manipulation interaction and visual highlighting to support easy identification of commonalities and differences as well as membership patterns across different sets of elements. We present case studies to illustrate how the technique can be successfully applied across different domains such as bio-chemical metabolomics and task & event scheduling.
Wearable computing has been an active area of research in the academic world for 20 years. In that time researchers from fields including computer science, electrical engineering, augmented reality, textiles, architecture, psychology, and fashion (to name a few) have worked together to build a rich body of knowledge. These researchers have invented technologies, built and tested applications in the field, and worked with users of all types to discover how to apply wearable computing concepts effectively in domains such as manufacturing, public safety, military, health and wellness, assistive technology, gaming, agriculture, architecture, sports, social computing and the list goes on. So why does the average consumer not have access to wearable devices and applications of all types? This is because the field was waiting for two major changes to occur. First the technology used for research was often expensive and/or fragile. The equipment was sufficient to build prototypes and to run experiments, but there were few systems that were robust and cost-effective enough for large scale deployment. Now with the rise of powerful mobile devices coupled with the very recent emergence of consumer accessible head-mounted displays from companies such as Google, Vuzix, and Oculus we now have technology platforms that are mature and affordable. Next, we had to wait for society to be culturally ready to embrace wearable computing. Millions of people have experienced how a constantly accessible mobile device can improve their lives and now they are ready for an even tighter coupling between their minds and their devices. We are now we at the cusp of wearable computing becoming pervasive in our lives, but there is considerable work to be done to transition these concepts from the research lab into the our daily lives.
