Track analysis system with wind roses

Abstract

In this paper we present a system for analyzing tracks using graphics inspired in wind roses. The elements of the rose in­clude petals that aggregate tracks given their direction and that also show their average speeds within an area around a point in a map, as well as arrows that point to the origin and destination of the tracks. The user can interact with the rose by applying time filters and by adjusting the aggregation radius, allowing, for instance, the visualization of commuting patterns. An evaluation with users revealed that almost no errors were made regarding the answers to questions about the interpretation of track aggregation data, and that the response times did not differ significantly with gender or age band and suggested improvements in the graphical interface. The system offers a new way of analyzing tracks, based on a classic technic for aggregating wind data, contributing to the body of knowledge in the area of visual analytics.