INSPECT : a dynamic visual query system for geospatial information exploration

This paper presents a visual information exploration tool called INSPECT. INSPECT provides geospatial information analysts with an effective way to visually filter multidimensional data and explore the underlying information contained within it. In geospatial intelligence information analyses, it is necessary to query, visualize and understand the data combined with location information. These operations are not simple since they include complex database queries of both spatial and non-spatial data. Moreover, analysts need to repeatedly query and visualize data until they reach a desirable conclusion. Using INSPECT, analysts are able to experimentally query the database avoiding complex database schema and visualize the results in geospatial context with minimal effort. The tools available with INSPECT include see-through lens visualization, relationship visualization, time varying analysis, saved lens-filter sessions, a data reachback capability, and iterative visual exploration.