Concept-Sketch: A Tool for Cooperative Visual Analytics *

Visual analytics is a newly built field rooted on information visualization. By using information visualization, data mining, human computer interaction and other techniques, visual analytics can support reasoning process and decision making activities. In a cooperative environment of visual analytics lifecycle, the ability to recognize users and their intention intelligently and effortlessly during the visual analytics process is important. Due to its intricate nature and limitation of interaction, it is difficult to extract and communicate a concept based on specific and various users’ requirements. In this paper, we present the framework for creating and modifying a concept map by an intuitive sketch interface that allows analysts to collaborate and utilize live collection of enterprise data in a visual interface. A user model is given to support collaborative analysis based on modeling users and tasks visual analytics. Furthermore, we propose the algorithm of concept map layout to facilitate the visual analytics. The interface presents the analyst with the dashboard configuration of certain data that users deems relevant, provides tools to facilitate the decision making process. Finally, we apply it to a collaborative visual decision support system. Experimental results show that it enhances the accessibility and the individualization of collaborative concept map for configuring enterprise data and helps to enhance user experience during the visual analytics process.