Query previews in networked information systems: the case of EOSDIS

ABSTRACT

Dynamic queries have been shown to be an effective technique to browse information, and to find patterns and exceptions. Dynamic queries involve the interactive control by a user of visual query parameters that generate rapid (100 ms update), animated, and visual displays of database search results. The data of early implementations was stored in local memory to guarantee optimal speed. Problems arise when the data is very large and distributed over a network. To overcome the problems of slow networks and data volume we propose a two-phase approach to query formulation using query previews and query refinements [1]. Preview mechanisms have been used in the past [2] and we believe that their use will be a major component of successful networked information systems interfaces (e.g. [3]).

REFERENCES

• 1: Khoa Doan , Catherine Plaisant , Ben Shneiderman, Query Previews in Networked Information Systems, Proceedings of the 3rd International Forum on Research and Technology Advances in Digital Libraries, p.120, May 13-15, 1996
• 2: Heppe, Edmondson and Spence. Helping both the novice and advanced user in menu-driven information retrieval systems, Proc. of HCI85, 92--101.
• 3: Chris North , Ben Shneiderman , Catherine Plaisant, User controlled overviews of an image library: a case study of the visible human, Proceedings of the first ACM international conference on Digital libraries, p.74-82, March 20-23, 1996, Bethesda, Maryland, United States [doi>10.1145/226931.226946]
• 4: Egemen Tanin , Richard Beigel , Ben Shneiderman, Incremental data structures and algorithms for dynamic query interfaces, ACM SIGMOD Record, v.25 n.4, p.21-24, Dec. 1996 [doi>10.1145/245882.245891]

INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
direct manipulation, dynamic query, earth science, network information system, query preview, visualization