The Potential for Synergy between Information Visualization and Software Engineering Visualization

To be provocative, it could be argued that information visualization is a tool in search of an application. This viewpoint becomes most apparent when one seeks to adopt and adapt practices from the information visualization field and attempt to apply them elsewhere. Software engineering is an appealing area in which a number of researchers have been seeking to leverage some of the benefits that information visualization can bring. Through an examination of the two fields, and their underlying motivations and foci, we highlight an as yet untapped area in which future research efforts should be directed to gain the most impact in software engineering. We also highlight recent concerns from the information visualization field to emphasize the role of establishing criteria through which new contributions can be assessed.

1. Introduction

Both ‘information visualization’ and ‘software engineering visualization’ are data intensive activities but their motivations are markedly different. In software engineering visualization, associated as it is with a primary design function, the fixing and communication of structure are paramount, whereas in information visualization the revealing and understanding of structure are the principal concern. In some parts of the overall software development process, in particular the ‘software visualization’ of implemented code, the understanding of hidden structures is important, as it may also become in the as yet unrealized field of ‘requirements engineering visualization’.