Evaluation of toolkits for visualizing information about performance of earthwork activities on construction job sites

Date

2010-06-30

Author

Atasoy Özcan, Güzide
Akinci, Burcu

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Project team members interact with large multivariate datasets while monitoring the performance of construction projects. The analyses of such datasets are traditionally performed with statistical methods and usage of 2D graphics with x-y coordinates. However, these methods are disadvantageous compared to multi-dimensional information visualization, which can provide patterns of unprocessed data in a more descriptive and clear way. In order to provide support for visualization of data, several toolkits with varying capabilities are created in Human Computer Interactions (HCI) domain. Example capabilities of these toolkits include supporting the display of and interaction with multivariate datasets in various forms. The research described in this paper assesses the benefits and limitations of three of these information visualization toolkits and an advanced graphics called, parallel coordinates that is designed to help in the analysis of multivariate datasets. As a test-bed, we used a dataset composed of two-weeks worth of payload data associated with an earthwork activity integrated with weather information. This dataset is studied in another paper with the usage of a scatter graph to investigate the correlation of hourly averages of payload and weather data and hence this test-bed provides a good baseline to compare the value of scatter graphs and parallel coordinates in supporting productivity analyses. This paper initially presents the overview of the three prominent HCI toolkits that we evaluated based on their inputs, representation schemas, outputs and interaction functionalities. As part of this evaluation, the investigation of the support of parallel coordinates in gaining insights about excavation activity productivity using the payload and weather datasets is presented and compared to the findings from the previous paper. The paper concludes with the advantages and disadvantages of the toolkits and parallel coordinates, and the ways in which these toolkits should be improved and modified to support the visualization of and interaction with the performance of construction projects.

Subject Keywords

Hci toolkits, Information visualization, Performance monitoring, Productivity analysis

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/88192

Collections

Department of Civil Engineering, Conference / Seminar