Seeing the text: program visualization for text analysis in the humanities

Patricia Monger; Geoffrey Rockwell

doi:10.1117/12.342831

25 March 1999 Seeing the text: program visualization for text analysis in the humanities

Patricia Monger, Geoffrey Rockwell

Proceedings Volume 3643, Visual Data Exploration and Analysis VI; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.342831
Event: Electronic Imaging '99, 1999, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

In this paper we will discuss a prototype visual programming environment for text applications called Eye-ConTact. Eye- ConTact is modeled on scientific visualization systems such as NAG's Explorer^TM. The user creates a flow chart of how the 'experiment' on a text is to be conducted. The map of this flow of data allows the researcher to see the logic of the study of a text and then reproduce such studies with other texts, or alter the analysis. To adapt the visual programming model to the community of textual scholars, the program must be usable and extendable by a community with limited resources for computing, and not entirely convinced that computationally-based research is relevant. The 'keep it simple' injunction is crucial in such a project. Furthermore, there are no defined or de facto standards for data formats or data representations in this community. We will discuss the original (1997) prototype. Feedback from demonstrations led to changes to the programming interface, and the underlying text analysis engine, in order to make the former more indicative of the steps in the analysis process, and the latter more portable and extensible. We will discuss the design decisions we made to address these two issues.

Citation Download Citation

Patricia Monger and Geoffrey Rockwell "Seeing the text: program visualization for text analysis in the humanities", Proc. SPIE 3643, Visual Data Exploration and Analysis VI, (25 March 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.342831

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