Abstract for conference
With the advent of devices such as the iPad, the way we interact with data is forever changed. Visualization methods have thus far depended on XML annotations and statistical analysis of text, leading to the sense that linguistic and historical analysis were the primary benificiaries of such techniques. The objects of study in the humanities, particularly textual stories, are primarily interesting due to the implications and concepts behind them, which are intertwined with the format they are presented in. Any subjective interpretation of the story would need to be built around and reference the original work. Currently the standard practice is to use page references, and to occasionally include an image of some textual visualization, but the fine differences and insights gleaned are best set in the context of the original work.
StorySigns was designed with two primary goals: to show the utility of a stand-off markup for text documents, even through edits and changes, and to introduce concept-symbols (Gryphs) that are associated with user-tagged elements in a narrative. The program draws nodes representing the traditional elements of story which are selected by the user; character, event, setting, beat (a portion of action which progresses a scene).
Future research include generalizing it for annotation and traversal of other documents, including dialogue transcripts, encyclopedia entries, textbooks, help documentation or other concept and structure-rich text documents. Other possibilities include the compilation of multiple critiques of a text into a single document for use in educational or research settings.
StorySigns was designed with two primary goals: to show the utility of a stand-off markup for text documents, even through edits and changes, and to introduce concept-symbols (Gryphs) that are associated with user-tagged elements in a narrative. The program draws nodes representing the traditional elements of story which are selected by the user; character, event, setting, beat (a portion of action which progresses a scene).
Future research include generalizing it for annotation and traversal of other documents, including dialogue transcripts, encyclopedia entries, textbooks, help documentation or other concept and structure-rich text documents. Other possibilities include the compilation of multiple critiques of a text into a single document for use in educational or research settings.