Manipulation and translation of multiple representations and their effect on design activity

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Manipulation and translation of multiple
representations and their effect on design
activity
Supported by Australian Research Council Large
Grant Principal Investigators - Bharat Dave,
Ian Bishop Associates CSIRO PhD Student - Agus
Batara
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Multiple design representations
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Design process

• representation and understanding of existing
  spatial conditions in order to propose, evaluate
  and communicate desirable changes to those
  conditions.
• scale and nature of information requires
  collaboration of diverse participants such as
  architects, planners engineers, sociologists,
  economists,
• each participant in this process brings different
  discipline perspectives and
• employs different ways to represent and
  manipulate common information

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Potential problems

• Linear, discrete process
• Need to propagate changes in one representation
  to other related ones
• Fragmented understanding
• Digital tools replicate the problems
  GIS Diagrams CAD
  Spreadsheets
• Changes, if propagated, are one-directional

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Research Issue significance

• Simultaneous manipulation and translation of
  information using digital media
• Increased understanding of design context through
  multiple, simultaneous representations

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• Graphs are concerned with representation of
  statistical and quantitative data.
• Maps involve scaled representations using a
  consistent system of reference (e.g. coordinate
  system), and allow inferences about dimensional
  and spatial relationships
• Diagrams are abstract and schematic, and are used
  to explore structural relationships between
  parts.
• Pictures are primarily concerned with impression,
  expression and realism

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Approach

• Each representation as a language with specific
  syntax and semantics
• Mapping or translation between languages
• Computational prototype development
• Experimental data
• Experimental validity

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Sample Data

• a small area of mixed-use suburb near
• the University.
• developed using ARC/INFO
• has associated 5 primary and about 60 secondary
  categories of land use to the 2500 cadastral
  parcels.
• attributes collected include height limits,
  assessed value, value per square meter and any
  special designations (such as historical
  significance).
• exported from ARC/INFO and imported into ARCView
  and then saved in Shape File format.

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• REX Representation exchange prototype

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• REX Representation exchange prototype

translation of information between map, database
table, and graphs e.g., pie charts and bar graphs
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• REX Representation exchange prototype

translation of information as maps, database
tables, and node-and-edge diagrams
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to be added

• Final extensions to REX
• Experimental data collection in Aug.- Sep.
• Protocol analysis
• Evaluation and validity analysis
• Analysis of changes in design process

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Papers

• Design Decision Support through Translation
  between Multiple Representations of Spatial Data.
  Proceedings of DDSS2002 - 6th International
  Conference on Design and Decision Support Systems
  in Architecture and Urban Planning, Ellecom, The
  Netherlands, 7-10 July 2002
• Translation between Multiple Representations of
  Spatial Data. AURISA 2001 - The 29th Annual
  Conference of Australian Urban Regional
  Information Systems Association, Melbourne, 19-23
  November 2001
• Multiple Representations For Diverse
  Perspectives Collaboration In Urban Design.
  Proceedings of SDH 2000 9th International
  Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Beijing,
  10-12 August 2000, Beijing