¹Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, K7-28, Richland, WA 99352, U.S.A.

Correspondence: Pak Chung Wong, P.O. Box 999, K7-28, Richland, WA 99352, U.S.A. Tel: +1 509 372 4764; Fax: +1 509 375 3641 E-mail: pak.wong@pnl.gov

Received 20 February 2006; Revised 31 July 2006; Accepted 3 August 2006.

Abstract

Under the leadership of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) established a research center focusing on the discipline of visual analytics in 2004. A year later, the center led a multidisciplinary panel representing academia, industry, and government to formally define directions and priorities for future research and development (R&D) for visual analytics tools. The R&D agenda, Illuminating the Path, defines the term visual analytics as 'the science of analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces'. This article describes our progress to date in walking that path. We briefly describe the background of the subject, present major professional activities and accomplishments of its community, and highlight some of the ongoing R&D efforts being carried out by researchers at PNNL to fulfill the requirements and missions of a new discipline that promises to change the way we deal with today's information.