Visual classification with information visualization (infoviz) for digital library collections

The purpose of information visualization (infoviz) is to show information graphically. That purpose is often obscured by infoviz designs that are not well understood in practice. This paper offers an over-view of infoviz culled from the literature on applications of information visualization for the digital library: how the clustering works that creates the topics, and how those topics are represented graphically. A taxonomy of infoviz designs in one, two and three dimensions is presented. it is suggested that user evaluations of infoviz designs might be used to enrich infoviz theory and, whether through application of the theory or through application of user remarks, developers might improve infoviz interface comprehensibility. Design recommendations are made in an effort to improve weaknesses and capitalize on strengths of present interfaces in representing knowledge visually.