Information Visualization for Information Fusion

Information fusion is a field of research that strives to establish theories, techniques and tools that exploit synergies in data retrieved from multiple sources. In many real-world applications huge amounts of data need to be gathered, evaluated and analyzed in order to make the right decisions. An important key element of information fusion is the adequate presentation of the data that guides decision-making processes efficiently. This is where theories and tools developed in information visualization, visual data mining and human computer interaction (HCI) research can be of great support. This report presents an overview of information fusion and information visualization, highlighting the importance of the latter in information fusion research. Information visualization techniques that can be used in information fusion are presented and analyzed providing insights into its strengths and weakness. Problems and challenges regarding the presentation of information that the decision maker faces in the ground situation awareness scenario (GSA) lead to open questions that are assumed to be the focus of further research.