Visualising semantic spaces and author co-citation networks in digital libraries

Salient semantic structures and citation patterns are extracted from several collections of documents, including the ACM SIGCHI Conference Proceedings and ACM Hypertext Conference Proceedings, using Latent Semantic Indexing and Pathfinder Network Scaling.

Abstract

This paper describes the development and application of visualisation techniques for users to access and explore information in a digital library effectively and intuitively. Salient semantic structures and citation patterns are extracted from several collections of documents, including the ACM SIGCHI Conference Proceedings (1995–1997) and ACM Hypertext Conference Proceedings (1987–1998), using Latent Semantic Indexing and Pathfinder Network Scaling. The unique spatial metaphor leads to a natural combination of search and navigation within the same semantic space in a 3-dimensional virtual world. Author co-citation patterns are visualised through a number of author co-citation maps in attempts to reveal the structure of the hypertext, including an overall co-citation map of 367 authors and three periodical maps. These maps highlight predominant research areas in the field. This approach provides a means for transcending the boundaries of collections of documents and visualising more profound patterns in terms of semantic structures and co-citation networks.