Towards Transparency in Visualisation Based Research
D. N. Baker · 1974
The composer Felix Mendelssohn said “music is not too indefinite for words, but too definite.” Similarly ‘data objects’, objects about which data is held, have often been considered to be too vague and have been pinned down to specific and objective categories through the use of metadata 1 . This paper examines data and its metamorphosis and proposes that there exists a parallel stream of ancillary information to metadata which is generated as part of a visualisation-based research process, and which it is necessary to document and disseminate alongside the visual research outcomes. This “ paradata ”, the paper argues, is essential to understanding and building successful and transparent research hypotheses and conclusions, particularly in areas where data is questionable, incomplete or conflicting, and explores how this can be applied to the process of creating three dimensional computer visualisation for research. Definitions