¹The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, U.S.A.

Correspondence: Chris Weaver, 302 Walker Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, U.S.A. Tel: +1 814 865 3472; Fax: +1 814 863 7943; E-mail: cweaver@psu.edu

Received 23 June 2006; Revised 31 July 2006; Accepted 23 October 2006; Published online 1 February 2007.

Abstract

Understanding the spatial and temporal characteristics of individual and group behavior in social networks is a critical component of visual tools for intelligence analysis, emergency management, consumer analysis, and human geography. Identification and analysis of patterns of recurring events is an essential feature of such tools. In this paper, we describe an interactive visual tool for exploring the visitation patterns of guests at two hotels in central Pennsylvania from 1894 to 1900. The centerpiece of the tool is a wrapping spreadsheet technique, called reruns, that reveals regular and irregular periodic patterns of events in multiple overlapping artificial and natural calendars. Implemented as a coordinated multiple view visualization in Improvise, the tool is in ongoing development through an iterative process of data collection, transcription, hypothesis, design, discovery, analysis, and evaluation in close collaboration with historical geographers. Numerous discoveries have driven additional data collection from archival newspaper and census sources, as well as plans to enhance analysis of spatial patterns using historic weather records and railroad schedules. Distributed online evaluations of usability and usefulness have resulted in feature and design recommendations that are being incorporated into the tool.