Visualization Tool for Comparative Analysis of Seabird Movement Data

Seabirds have varied movement patterns depending on their group, nesting site, or season. Therefore, seabird experts need to compare movement data under various conditions for conservation and elucidation of ecology. Visualization of movement data helps intuitive analysis. However, it is not easy for seabird experts to design suitable visual representations for comparison. The purpose of our study is to develop a tool to support the visualization process for comparison of seabird movement. There are three components to visualization techniques for comparison: Juxtaposition, Superposition, and Explicit Encodings. In our study, we aim to support comparative analysis under complex conditions using flexible Small Multiples based on juxtaposition and superposition. We designed visual representations for the comparative analysis of seabird movement data. We implemented such visual representations into a tool and confirmed its effectiveness for comparative analysis of seabird movement data.