I spend a lot of time on visualization programming in NetLogo and I'm also a usability wonk, so I was interested in the article, and enjoyed it.
I had never thought about deliberately avoiding optical illusion side-effects. I agree that good vis design can evoke information, and that bad vis design can obscure it. However, many of the bigger "real" models I've worked on defined any run-time vis at all--the real meat was in the gathered data. ~~James On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 1:48 PM, Douglas Roberts <d...@parrot-farm.net> wrote: > Tap, tap. Is this thing on? > > I can't *believe*, what with the FRIAM list being what it is, that I am the > only one to comment on the paper Robert pointed out. > > This paper pushes (I thought) all of the FRIAM hot buttons: complexity, > visualization, ABMs, methodology. I've come to realize that I'm not the > only opinionated one around here. Was the paper so bad that I am the only > one who nibbled? > > Or was it so good that I committed a horrible faux pas by speaking ill of > it? > > Or, did Steve finally ban me from the list for all the horrible tuber puns? > > --Doug > > On Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 4:19 PM, Douglas Roberts <d...@parrot-farm.net> > wrote: >> >> Thanks, Robert. >> >> This part of the paper caused my bullshit detector to go off: >> >> 4.4 The classification of models is purely visual. It does not take into >> account the particular phenomenon being explored by the model. In other >> words, we did not consider the subject area or discipline of the model. Of >> course, some visualizations in the same category share the same type of >> phenomenon, but it is not unusual to find unrelated phenomena appearing in >> the same category. This classification is not meant to be a rigid >> comprehensive classification; on the contrary, it is meant to be an easily >> understandable and flexible overview. Thus, the modeler should envision the >> model that they eventually want to develop and then examine categories below >> based on that conception, to find a starting point for the design of their >> new visualization. >> Without taking the into account the particular phenomenon being modeled, I >> strongly suspect that the visualizations developed using this approach will >> produce, no doubt, pretty colored groupings of splotches that unfortunately >> convey little useful information about the actual problem domain. >> >> I'd be really curious to see what kind of results this viz design approach >> would produce for an ABM that modeled the transmission of an infectious >> disease with several distinct intermediate progression states in a city >> with, say 9 million mobile inhabitants. What insights would the viz give >> regarding contact patterns, super spreaders, demographic effects, possible >> intervention strategies? >> >> Also, Figure 13 made me want to start drinking early today. >> >> Don't get me wrong: I like pretty colored splotches as much as the next >> guy; I'd just prefer that my viz apps tell me something useful about my >> particular application. >> >> I give the paper a 3.4 on the ten scale. >> >> --Doug >> >> On Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 3:04 PM, Robert Holmes <rob...@holmesacosta.com> >> wrote: >>> >>> The "how to visualize ABMs" paper is particularly interesting >>> http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/1.html >>> >>> -- Robert >>> >>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >>> From: <ja...@surrey.ac.uk> >>> Date: Sat, Apr 4, 2009 at 4:15 AM >>> Subject: New issue of Journal of Artificial Societies and Social >>> Simulation, vol. 12(2) >>> To: ja...@list.surrey.ac.uk >>> >>> >>> The Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation >>> (http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk) published issue 2 of Volume 12 on >>> 31-Mar-2009. >>> >>> JASSS is an electronic, refereed journal devoted to the exploration and >>> understanding of social processes by means of computer simulation. It is >>> freely available, with no subscription. >>> ================= >>> >>> In this issue, we have 9 reviews of recent books related to social >>> simulation and complexity, as well as articles on design guidelines for ABM >>> visualisation, a survey of ABM platforms, a proposal for a new way of >>> modelling social networks, and models of consensus and occupational >>> inheritance in China. >>> >>> =============================================================== >>> Peer-reviewed Articles >>> =============================================================== >>> >>> How Groups Can Foster Consensus: The Case of Local Cultures >>> by Patrick Groeber, Frank Schweitzer and Kerstin Press >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/4.html> >>> >>> Agent-Based Simulation on Women's Role in a Family Line on Civil Service >>> Examination in Chinese History >>> by Chao Yang, Setsuya Kurahashi, Keiko Kurahashi, Isao Ono and Takao >>> Terano >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/5.html> >>> >>> Social Circles: A Simple Structure for Agent-Based Social Network Models >>> by Lynne Hamill and Nigel Gilbert >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/3.html> >>> >>> Design Guidelines for Agent Based Model Visualization >>> by Daniel Kornhauser, Uri Wilensky and William Rand >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/1.html> >>> >>> =============================================================== >>> Forum (Editor: Klaus G. Troitzsch) >>> =============================================================== >>> >>> Tools of the Trade: A Survey of Various Agent Based Modeling Platforms >>> by Cynthia Nikolai and Gregory Madey >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/2.html> >>> >>> =============================================================== >>> Book Reviews (Review editor: Flaminio Squazzoni) >>> =============================================================== >>> >>> Marco Castellani reviews: >>> Reason and Rationality by Elster, Jon >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/castellani.html> >>> >>> Gennaro Di Tosto reviews: >>> Artificial Psychology: The Quest for What It Means to Be Human by >>> Friedenberg, Jay >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/di_tosto.html> >>> >>> Cristiano Castelfranchi reviews: >>> Neuroeconomics: Decision Making and the Brain by Glimcher Paul W., >>> Camerer Colin, Poldrack Russell, Fehr Ernst (Eds.) >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/castelfranchi.html> >>> >>> Károly Takács reviews: >>> Social and Economic Networks by Jackson, Matthew O. >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/tak_aacute_cs.html> >>> >>> Domenico Delli Gatti reviews: >>> Computational Macroeconomics for the Open Economy by Lim, G. C. and >>> McNelis, Paul D. >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/delli_gatti.html> >>> >>> Julie Dugdale reviews: >>> Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World (Bradford Books) by >>> Pentland,(Sandy) Alex >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/dugdale.html> >>> >>> Francesca Giardini reviews: >>> Computable Models of the Law (Lecture Notes in Computer Science / >>> Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence) by Casanovas Pompeu, Sartor >>> Giovanni, Casellas Núria, Rubino Rossella (Eds.) >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/giardini.html> >>> >>> Blake LeBaron reviews: >>> Agent-Based Modeling: the Santa Fe Institute Artificial Stock >>> Market Model Revisited (Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems) >>> by Ehrentreich, Norman >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/lebaron.html> >>> >>> Cesáreo Hernández-Iglesias reviews: >>> Agent-Based Approaches in Economic and Social Complex Systems: V. 5 >>> (Springer Series on Agent Based Social Systems) by Terano Takao, Kita >>> Hajime, Takahashi Shingo, Deguchi Hiroshi (Eds.) >>> >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/2/reviews/hern_aacute_ndez-iglesias.html> >>> >>> =============================================================== >>> >>> The new issue can be accessed through the JASSS home page: >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk>. >>> >>> The next issue will be published at the end of June 2009. >>> >>> Submissions are welcome: see >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/admin/submit.html> >>> >>> If you would like to assist in refereeing submissions to JASSS, go to >>> http://www.epress.ac.uk/JASSS/webforms/new_referee.php >>> >>> >>> >>> ____________________________________________________________________________ >>> JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL SOCIETIES AND SOCIAL SIMULATION >>> <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/> >>> Editor: Nigel Gilbert, University of Surrey, UK >>> Forum Editor: Klaus G. Troitzsch, Koblenz-Landau University, Germany >>> Review Editor: Flaminio Squazzoni, University of Brescia, Italy >>> ________________________________________________________________________ >>> Sent from the EPRESS journal management system, http://www.epress.ac.uk >>> >>> >>> ============================================================ >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >>> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >> >> >> > > > > -- > Doug Roberts > drobe...@rti.org > d...@parrot-farm.net > 505-455-7333 - Office > 505-670-8195 - Cell > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
