4) TEST STANDARD CLUSTER VIEWS Currently TheBrain is being used with the Shelley Web and James is in discussion with Accenture regarding their other programs such as "Knowledge Integration." Talks are also underway with Ted Nelson regarding his Zig/Zag and Jim Zaun has produced a Technical Assessment of it in relation to the Knowledge Web. Jim recommends keeping the KWeb and Zig/Zag or other "presentation services" separate but linked together via XML and Web services since Jim and Gary already have XML/Web services technology built into the J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Environment) server they are using for the prototype. This will allow us to generate "views" using various existing technologies for the demo. [Burke's ShelleyWeb using TheBrain is shown in the two views on the right]. These cluster views could be 1) part of the multitasking browser views (see Smithsonian example) or 2) pop up views in a geo browser (refer to the geofusion discussion below).
5) TEST DYNAMIC CLUSTER VIEWS Test drive Gerald de Jong's dynamic "clustering" java program with the Mary Shelley subset to show another version of how the Shelley Web can be visualized through a more dynamic clustering technology where you can add your journey to it. Gerald says that if he can get the xml files, we can take it for a spin. [Gerald's work of a number of years ago for UIA can be seen here: http://www.uia.be/visuals/javagallery.htm and specs are here: http://www.uia.org/dyna/mapexp.htm but now he has developed a "surprisingly effective clustering techology based on populating the surface of a sphere with members, where similarity and difference are expressed by relative directional vectors (or proximity of dots on the sphere). This allows one to create hi-res scalable graphic pictures (imagine mega-posters) as well as any kind of live graphic interface (wire-frame or Java3D) that may be required. The key is that similar things settle in each other's vicinity." [images shown are early versions and do not depict the current evolution of gerald's work]
6) TEST INTERACTIVE TIMELINES Test the subset/s using Steve Browning's "WhoWhatWhen" java-based open source interactive historical timelines that allow you to dynamically generate fully hyperlinked custom java-applet timelines. See if he would be open to letting us integrate a mildly customized version for a demo. Browning's program runs on all open source software: runs on Linux operating system with an Apache server connected to a msql maintained database (all of these things I think are what you are using now, Jim, yes?) Navigation and searching is handled with a single PHP file. The hyperlinks go directly to google search results currently but Browning has long wanted to offer more links and more detailed entries and may be interested in customizing this for a demo. (here is a sample of Mary Shelley http://www.sbrowning.com/ whowhatwhen/index.php3?q=12&pid=1850). James has recommended that we customize this to show hyperlinks from inside the web to the following:Lerici, where Shelley and her husband went when he drowned, encyclopedia entries on the meaning of "romantic," etc. the larger historical world they lived in at the time, i.e., what else was going on that year. A unique way to bring up text on timeline is seen in by Martin Wattenberg's Spiral, where a constellation of stars moused over brings up a description of the node, and clicked twice brings up a translucent layer of scrollable text.
The Smithsonian "Revealing Things" 1998 java-based online exhibit (designed by PlumbDesign) demonstrates one of the more unique ways that a hyperbolic tree was combined with images, text and audio files. Above you can see the various ways you can stream through information in 2D. You can click through based on theme, Era, Object or search by keyword through the the timebar at bottom left. In this search for lantern, you can go straight to the Japanese Lantern cross referenced to the 1940s time period. A New York Times Article on the exhibit describes its unique presentation.
8) GEOGRAPHIC INTERFACE Design a mockup of a geographic interface a 2D geo-imagemap (I can get satellite imagery for the demo) or a fly-around using AW nested globes or the satellite version of Paul Hansen's Geomatrix.       9) ONION SKIN VIEW Using Paul Hansen's Geofusion, it is possible to do a wireframe flythrough of the unskinned geomatrix as a series of nested globes with nodes similar in 3D to the Burke's original 2D artist's rendition of KWeb.
10) FUTURE VISIONS SEQUENCE Currently, Geofusion allows 3D text to "float above the locations. Using compositing, we could also add images or icons as "floating markers" and simulate a hotlink sequence where clicking on the images can bring up a scrollable text screen with biographical data, the "cluster view, or the timeline view as small pop up boxes on the screen. Again, this would be the "future visions" sequence that concentrates more on a packaged version for museums. [pictures here are of various views of geofusion flydown to china w/o the 3d annotated text]
11) MULTIMEDIA ADDITIONS Select Public domain graphics to liven the above up with some type of multi-media... i.e., photos, a video clip getting permissions for demo use only. Once again referring to the Smithsonian example the keyword search on "gas" brings up the Parlor Gas Meter. In KWeb, icons of artifacts could bring up audio or video sequences.
11) BURKE AVATAR Two ways to bring James into the picture is either with a bluescreen version brought into the future visions sequence (similar to the Connections CDROM mini James Burke in the virtual landscape) or a Burke Avatar. Texture-mapped avatars with lip synching capabilities are becoming more sophisticated but are still a bit on the futuristic side. But just as a test, we could generate a Burke avatar using Haptek's new "people putty" - this avatar face can be set to lip synch completely with any .wav file. Using effective compositing during the digital editing process the burke avatar can be made small and more iconic to become "tour guide" on the corner of the screen during the sequences that are edited together with the script.

LINKS AND EXAMPLES
Below is a special selection of web-based interactive timelines and interactive geomaps that may be used as a base for comparison. Basic html Imagemaps for either timelines or geomaps are a dime a dozen and simple to do. With a database driven site, even in its rudimentary stage and writing in dhtml, they could be quite provocative in the first round. Flash or shockwave interactive maps take more time but still require a plugin. Java applets still seem to be thin and easy to load, requiring no plugin. VRML maps require more development time, plugins and are very limited in terms of texturing (with multi-user 3D like ActiveWorlds where we meet, we could develop something much better than vrml). I always find it good to look at the larger landscape and think about components by seeing what others have done.

INTERACTIVE GEOMAP EXAMPLES

LOC's America's Story
http://www.americaslibrary.org/
In the Library of Congress's "America's Story" - a site are similar to a number of education sites or cds-- i.e., they offer users a way to search or view by geography, theme, or person. With this in mind......

LOCATION-BASED SEARCH ENGINES:
We all familiar with direction maps through everything from Yahoo maps to Mapquest.com to mapblast.com. Below I am just compiling a smattering of other ways maps are used as location-based search engines or navigation frameworks to look at (and sometimes contribute to) specific sets of data.

Lassoo
http://www.lasoo.net
Lasoo.com is a fairly new location-based search engine -- very simple but effective way to target a location. Very linear (has same limitations as standard GIS interfaces - i.e. lists and boxy representations of area). Lasoo also has solutions for pda's. Whitepaper in pdf format is here: http://www.lasoo.net/asp/LASOO_API.pdf

Mirago
http://www.mirago.com/scripts/regional.asp
Mirago's search engine for the U.K. also uses a super simple clickable geomap of the U.K.

GEOMAPS FOR TOURIST INFORMATION

Virtual Tourist
Virtual Tourist uses simple but elegeant interactive maps for tourist information (see Europe example below)
http://www.virtualtourist.com/Europe/?s=F

Lonely Planet's Online tourist info - interactive maps with super simple graphics (all simple imagemaps) http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/

Interactive compressed timeline java applet map of Bay Area Rapid Transit shuttles (BART)
http://www-itg.lbl.gov/vbart/route.html

WORLD INFORMATION - SOCIAL, POLITICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL

Degree Confluence Project
http://www.confluence.org/
The Degree Confluence Project is a non-profit global project whose goal is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures and stories are all posted on a web site that is volunteer-run. The personal stories make this site a unique, growing assemblage yet the pages are very very simple. This project is more than four years old. The cool thing is that this is an incredible grassroots effort and you can search by visitor and even get to their home pages or bios, by location, degrees or random searches.

Degree Conf Project: Interactive Confluence Maps
http://www.orbitals.com/dcp/dcp3a.htm
This interactive map shows is mosaic'd with images from the successfully contacted locations (choose N. America or Europe view to see a close-up of large clusters of these images. You can get to the "story pages" by clicking the images. Click to the one lone pic on the bottom of the world map to get to the geographic south pole. (this page includes vrml 3d globe views.

The Kyoto Protocol
http://maps.grida.no/kyoto/
Interactive map showing greenhouse gas emissions 1999 projected to 2010. Zoom in feature connected to statistics - super simple but effective)

The Disasterrelief.org site for worldwide disaster relief information
http://www.disasterrelief.org/EarthWatch/
This part of the site uses a clickable map of the world in an interesting way so that the latest news stories on disaster events are linked straight from an icon on the map. It is simply a regularly updated imagemap that is diced up into changeable pieces. Again, simple, but effective.

Earthview
http://www.fourmilab.to/cgi-bin/uncgi/Earth/action?opt=-p
The Earthview "Living Earth" that shows, using satellite imagery, the day and night regions at this moment, or view the Earth. Continuously updated zoomable views of the earth.

Fourmilab's Pannable Earth
The pannable Earth from the Sun or moon
http://www.fourmilab.to/cgi-bin/uncgi/Earth/action?opt=-s
http://www.fourmilab.to/cgi-bin/uncgi/Earth/action?opt=-m
or above various cities such as Cairo, Egypt, London or San Francisco or Albany NY (showing various times of day or night)
http://www.fourmilab.to/earthview/cities.html

World time
http://www.worldtime.com/
This graphically simple interactive globe of the Earth is shown as an orthographic projection globe showing the daylight, twilight and night zones. Users can, among other things, rotate the globe, zoom it and display national borders.

National Atlas
http://nationalatlas.gov/natlas/natlasstart.asp
Nationalatlas.gov is a governent site coming from the US Dept. of the Interior (javascript, not java) Nationalatlas.gov also has multi-media enhanced maps such as the Tapestry of Time and Terrain.

Tapestry of Time and Terrain
Part of the National Atlas Govt. site... this iis a combination of geologic and topographic maps where users explore American landscapes and the agents that shaped them. Uses Flash and QuickTime plug-ins.
http://tapestry.usgs.gov/

INTERACTIVE MAPS FOR HISTORY

Hyperhistory Online
This online companion to the Hyperhistory timelines uses the Synchronoptical means 'Seeing at the same time'. The Synchronoptic Chart provides a perspective of world historical events, and enables the reader to hold simultaneously in mind of what was happening in widely separated parts of the earth. Search the chart online by maps, people and events. http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html

This list of interactive history maps consists mostly of jpgs but some of the shockwave maps basically run interactive animations such as the following two: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/europe/maps.html

Macedonian expansion under Phillip and Alexander (about 500k) http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/europe/interactive/map23.html

Spread of Christianity from the 2nd to the 4th centuries (173k) http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/europe/interactive/map31.html

Similarly, here is an "animated map of Alexander's the Great's Odyssey" in quicker to download animated gif version http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Animation/alexander.html

Library of Congress's American Life Histories project
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpamap.html
Clickable imagemap to search by state.. (super simple)

INTERACTIVE TIMELINE EXAMPLES:

WhoWhatWhen Interactive Timelines for History
Java-based visual timelines that you customize by search criteria - name, date, year or description - java timelines come up auto-linked to google search results for further research on web - WAY COOL)
http://www.sbrowning.com/whowhatwhen/

SPIRAL by Martin Wattenberg
http://rhizome.org/spiral
Each text in the Rhizome.org library is represented by a star in the spiral-shaped timeline. The location of each star is determined by the date on which it was added to the library. To use Spiral, mouse over a dot on the timeline to view information about the corresponding text. The right-hand side scroll bar to travel forward or backward in time. This interface is particularly interestion because of its nonlinearity, simplicity and its rollover text and its translucent scrollable text screens.
screengrabs: http://rhizome.org/spiral/6.php3?page=6
applet: http://rhizome.org/spiral/1.php3?page=1

Interactive Open Source Timeline 1973 to 2002 (simple linear bar verticle with links but can be customized by user, event suggestion or search events) http://www.osdn.com/timeline/

PBS interactive timeline of the Great War (simple, pix. text, linear) http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/timeline/

PBS History of the Universe Timeline
http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/timeline/
Still simple, linear but more graphically interesting.

PBS Timeline of Evolution (5 mil years with viz changes from Ardipithecus to homo sapiens, shockwave spawned browser linear and simple tree connections view - not hyperbolic)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/evolution/

PBS Timeline from New Perspectives of the West (simple frames/html left hand time period)
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/events/

Smithsonian's American Presidency
http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/home.html
Graphic flash hyperlinked timebar at top

American Physical Society - A Century of Physics Timeline
http://www.timeline.aps.org/APS/index.html
Simple scrollable timebar at top -flash- search by decade or timebar.

McGraw Hill Online Learning Center Theatre Timelines
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072407182/student_view0/interactive_t imeline.html
Shockwave spawned browser. very linear, not too graphic... seach by location, year or time frame, linking theatre to culture and politics - no pix or multi-media.

Book of the Month Club 70 year timeline
http://www.bomc.com/archives/decades/home.html
Super simple just html and dropdown box, explore by decade or guided tour by theme.

Britannica.com's History of Roller Coasters
http://coasters.eb.com/
Timeline Imagemap-super simple

PC Magazine History of Personal Computing 1876-2001
http://www.pcmag.com/article/0,2997,s%253D1754%2526a%253D11170,00.asp
Flash spawned browser - nice graphics, sound included with intro too)

The Jerusalem Archeological Park Interactive Timeline
http://www.archpark.org.il/index.asp
Patrick showed this one at the meeting on Feb 13 - flash enabled, nice visuals and sliding bars, still linear)

Internet Time Group Timeline Page http://www.internettime.com/itimegroup/timelines.htm

All following linked from Internet Time Group page:

Timeline of Scientists
http://www.internettime.com/itimegroup/images/science_century.gif

California History Online
http://www.californiahistory.net/

A Walk Through Time - A NIST Physics Laboratory Presentation
http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/time.html

Geological Time Machine
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html

Cosmic Calendar
http://www.internettime.com/itimegroup/cosmiccalendar.htm