Surface Computing and Collaborative Analysis Work

This book addresses a still-maturing technology, large surface computing, and its application to what is an increasingly important area, collaborative data analysis. Our goals are to outline the fundamentals of surface computing, review relevant work on collaborative data analysis, describe framewor [...]
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This book addresses a still-maturing technology, large surface computing, and its application to what is an increasingly important area, collaborative data analysis. Our goals are to outline the fundamentals of surface computing, review relevant work on collaborative data analysis, describe frameworks for understanding collaborative processes, and provide a better understanding of the opportunities. We describe surfaces as display technologies with which people can interact directly and emphasize how surface computing has changed interaction design. We focus on a particular use of large surfaces --- collaborative analysis work and review efforts to use large displays, surfaces or mixed display environments to enable this activity. Collaborative analysis is important in many domains, but to provide concrete examples and a specific focus, we frequently consider analysis work in the security domain, and in particular the challenges security personnel face in securing networks from attackers and intelligence analysts encounter when analyzing intelligence data. Both of these activities are becoming increasingly collaborative endeavors, and there are huge opportunities for improving collaboration by leveraging surface computing. Throughout our work we emphasize challenges and opportunities that interaction with surfaces presents, particularly with an eye to informing interaction designers and developers pursuing these opportunities. We have reviewed hundreds of recent research papers and report on advancements in the fields of surface-enabled collaborative analytic work, interactive techniques for surface technologies, and useful theory that can provide direction to interaction design work. We also offer insight into issues that arise when developing applications for multi-touch surfaces derived from our own experiences creating collaborative applications. We present these insights at a level appropriate for all members of the software desig