Abstract In many applications, visual analytics (VA) has developed into a standard tool to ease data access and knowledge generation. VA describes a holistic cycle transforming data into hypothesis and visualization to generate insights that enhance the data. Unfortunately, many data sources used in the VA process are affected by uncertainty. In addition, the VA cycle itself can introduce uncertainty to the knowledge generation process but does not provide a mechanism to handle these sources of uncertainty. In this manuscript, we aim to provide an extended VA cycle that is capable of handling uncertainty by quantification, propagation, and visualization, defined as uncertainty-aware visual analytics (UAVA). Here, a recap of uncertainty definition and description is used as a starting point to insert novel components in the visual analytics cycle. These components assist in capturing uncertainty throughout the VA cycle. Further, different data types, hypothesis generation approaches, and uncertainty-aware visualization approaches are discussed that fit in the defined UAVA cycle. In addition, application scenarios that can be handled by such a cycle, examples, and a list of open challenges in the area of UAVA are provided.

Advanced computing resources are requested by different interest groups, with the acceleration of digital transformation generated both by the pandemic and by the explosive increase in available information. Data centers have increased significantly over the past years to answer this demand but are now facing energy efficiency issues and performance requirements. Renewable energy is a promising solution by supplying local energy, but this power generation is reduced, intermittent, and requires changing how computation and data storage is managed. Edge/Fog computing is a promising solution to latency concerns proximity to data centers; however, this solution often extends existing clouds, imposing no specific principles to reduce energy and greenhouse emissions. This paper discusses challenges of a scalable architecture to support sustainable advanced information technology requirements inspired by the circular economy characteristics. The architecture has to keep rethinking computation, optimizing deployment, and regenerating energy.

Studies using virtual reality environments (VE) have shown that subjects can perform path integration tasks with acceptable performance. However, in these studies, subjects could walk naturally across large tracking areas, or researchers provided them with large- immersive displays. Unfortunately, these configurations are far from current consumer-oriented VEs (COVEs), and little is known about how their limitations influence this task. Using a triangle completion paradigm, we assessed the subjects' spatial performance when developing path integration tasks in two consumer-oriented displays (an HTC Vive and a GearVR) and two consumer-oriented interaction devices (a Virtuix Omni motion platform and a Touchpad Control). Our results show that when locomotion is available (motion platform condition), there exist significant effects regarding the display and the path. In contrast, when locomotion is mediated no effect was found. Some future research directions are therefore proposed.

Homing is a fundamental task which plays a vital role in spatial navigation. Its performance depends on the computation of a homing vector, where human beings can use simultaneously two different cognitive strategies: an online strategy based on the self-motion cues known as path integration (PI), and an offline strategy called piloting based on the spatial image of the path. Studies using virtual reality environments (VE) have shown that human being can perform homing tasks with acceptable performance. However, in these studies, subjects were able to walk naturally across large tracking areas, or researchers provided them with high-end large-immersive displays. Unfortunately, these configurations are far from current consumer-oriented devices, and very little is known about how their limitations can influence these cognitive processes. Using a triangle completion paradigm, we assessed homing tasks in two consumer-oriented displays (an HTC Vive and a GearVR) and two consumer-oriented interaction devices (a Virtuix Omni Treadmill and a Touchpad Control). Our results show that when locomotion is available (treadmill condition), there exist significant effects regarding display and path complexity. In contrast, when locomotion is restricted (touchpad condition), some effects on path complexity were found. Thus, some future research directions are therefore proposed.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an up-and-coming methodology and technology used in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, that allows data centralization and stakeholders' collaboration. But to check the accuracy of the work done on the worksite, it is necessary first to go on site and then to modify the BIM model. This paper presents a mixed reality (MR) application based on BIM data and drone videos, allowing off-site construction supervision. It permits to make annotations about differences between what has been planned in BIM and what has been built, using superimposition of the two sources. Then these ones can be transferred to the BIM model for corrections. Finally, we evaluate our work with building construction experts, providing to them a questionnaire to grade the application and to get feedback. Our major result is that as for them the application does really help to do construction supervisions; however, they suggest that the application should provide more interactions with the 3D model and with the videos.

This poster formulates the concept of heterogeneous distributed mixed reality (HDMR) applications in order to state some interesting research questions in this domain. HDMR applications give synchronous access to shared virtual worlds, from diverse mixed reality (MR) hardware, and at similar levels of functionality. We show the relationship between HDMR and previous concepts, state challenges in their development, and illustrate this concept and its challenges with an example.

Nowadays, virtual reality (VR) is widely used in the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) industry. One crucial issue is how to reuse Building Information Modeling (BIM) models in VR applications. This paper presents an approach for a smart adaptation of BIM models for using in VR scene, by following the needs expressed by building projects actors. The main adaptation consists in filtering BIM data to keep the necessary ones for VR, according to the user objectives. Moreover, VR system should be chosen by taking into account the purpose of usage of the VR model. This approach is applied to a study case of a nursery building project.

We study the feasibility of using Belief, Desire and Intention agents for modeling the phenomena of urban growth and segregation. Uncertainty, typical of real world situations is modeled using possibility theory. We have also implemented a simple visualization tool whose aim is to track the changes in the model. Some preliminary experiments suggest that such an approach might allow a decision-maker to dynamically track the changes in the model. Besides, it is also possible to interact with the different steps of the simulation via the model. Our proposal makes it possible to simulate the interactions between cognitive agents in an economical environment while taking the spatial context into account.

The origin-destination matrix is an useful tool for traffic and transport analysis. This kind of matrices are increasing in volume and complexity due to the availability of new technologies to gather new information. In this project we present a novel way of representing origin-destination matrices using a connection barchart and two coordinated maps. The main goal is to use the connection Barchart as the center of the interactive visualization providing an overview of the dataset. Through interaction, the information about specific origin-destination nodes in the origin-destination matrix is shown in both the connection barchart and the coordinated maps, giving the user information about origin, destination, direction, and volume of flow. Additionally, an evaluation with users was conducted to test the usefulness and usability of the interactive visualization using real data for the RBT system in Bogota, Colombia.

The increasing amount of data generated by Location Based Social Networks (LBSN) such as Twitter, Flickr, or Foursquare, is currently drawing the attention of urban planners, as it is a new source of data that contains valuable information about the behavior of the inhabitants of a city. Making this data accessible to the urban planning domain can add value to the decision making processes. However, the analysis of the spatial and temporal characteristics of this data in the context of urban planning is an ongoing research problem. This paper describes ongoing work in the design and development of a visual exploration tool to facilitate this task. The proposed design provides an approach towards the integration of a visual exploration tool and the capabilities of a visual query system from a multilevel perspective (e.g., multiple spatial scales and temporal resolutions implicit in LBSN data). A preliminary discussion about the design and the potential insights that can be gained from the exploration and analysis of this data with the proposed tool is presented, along with the conclusions and future work for the continuation of this work.

The participation of women in undergraduate program of Systems and Computing Engineering at the University of los Andes, Colombia, has been declining over the past years, and today it is only about 11%. This phenomenon has been evidenced in many universities around the world and there are several collaborative projects and networks trying to understand the causes to find mitigation actions in the future. In this paper, we present progress of the project being done in our context. We present figures for the last two decades that show the problem, the instruments we have defined to understand the causes and some preliminary results.

Integration of different types of brain images in a single visualization space can aid specialists in both interactive data analysis and in communication with colleagues. This article presents an interactive visualization software, called KAB, which integrates structural magnetic resonance images (MRI), functional images (fMRI) and tractographies (DTI). It is an operational prototype which offers interactive visual queries on integrated data. It also features mechanisms for exploring data provided by one exam based on another exam, therefore yielding more information than what each independent exam could. This software was developed and tested as part of a study on brain development of 40 patients (teenagers).

The execution of actions in interactive applications depends on the user's intention. This intention should be able to be expressed in a natural language for the user. The gestures can be exploited as an intuitive language for the user. Using a gesture-based language, an interactive application must be able to express its possible actions independently of the devices that are part of the infrastructure available for the system. In this way, a specialized component in interaction, and decoupled from the application, is responsible for getting the flow of information provided by the interactive devices, to interpret it as gestures with meaning for the user, and to transform the gestures into data inputs defining actions for the application. This paper presents a platform that supports the integration of gesture-based interaction and interactive computer-applications. The use of this platform is illustrated with a case study.