Pr/BSc/MSc Topics

Potential Topics (Keith Andrews)

This is a list of potential topics to give you a flavour of the kind of things I do.
Last Updated: 2022-01-07.

Online Tree Testing Tool (Diamond TreeTest)

Tree testing is a method for evaluating an information hierarchy. Test users are asked to locate items within a plain, unadorned information hierarchy and their progress is recorded and analysed. Diamond is a web-based tree testing and card sorting application based on a MEAN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node).

This topic is suitable for a Master's student with prior experience in web development. The student will extend and improve the current implementation. There are two main areas for extension: a) improving and testing the UI, b) integrating more analysis tools.

References

Online Card Sorting Tool (Diamond CardSort)

Card sorting is a technique commonly used in information architecture to create a hierarchical structure for a collection of concepts. Users sort physical or virtual concept cards into groups and then name the groups. Diamond is a web-based tree testing and card sorting application based on a MEAN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node).

This topic is suitable for a Master's student with prior experience in web development. The student will extend and improve the current implementation. There are two main areas for extension: a) improving and testing the UI, b) integrating analysis tools (hierarchical clustering, dendrograms, and similarity maps).

References

Multidimensional Visual Analyser (MVA)

Multidimsenional tables (spreadsheets) can be visualised in a number of ways. This project will build a framework for multidimensional visual analysis as an Electron web app in TypeScript.

This is a larger project suitable for a Master's thesis.

References

String Charter

String Charter is an Electron web app which creates a string chart (Ibry chart) from a transport schedule. The app is built in JavaScript with D3. The data is pre-fetched from a GTFS feed provider (transit authority) and relevant fields are extracted and prepared as a CSV for input into String Charter. The sring chart can be exported as SVG.

This topic is suitable for a Bachelor's or Master's student with prior experience in web development. The current implementation needs to be further extended in functionality (for example, to directly read and internally parse GTFS feeds), have its interface polished, and undergo some usability testing.

References

Sapphire Submission and Grading System

Sapphire sapphire.isds.tugraz.at is the online submission and grading management system used for my mass courses. It is written in Ruby/Rails with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.

The student will work on improving and extending Sapphire. Possible extensions include improving the UI for online submissions, better provision for multiple attempts at an exercise, and a new module to integrate external tools for HTML validation and plagiarism checking.

This topic suitable for a Master's student with good working knowledge of Ruby/Rails and frontend web development with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.

Hierarchical Visualisation System (HVS)

HVS is an integrated user interface framework for multiple orthogonal visualisations of hierarchical structures. Implemented in Java. HVS needs to be reworked to support better usability (e.g. drag and drop across browsers and progressive rendering in the browsers). Metadata extraction for more common document formats.

This is a larger topic suitable for a Master's thesis.

Related work: https://ftp.isds.tugraz.at/pub/theses/wputz.pdf

Cone Trees

Implementation of cone trees within the Hierarchical Visualisation System (HVS). HVS is an integrated user interface framework for multiple orthogonal visualisations of hierarchical structures. Implemented in Java.

Related work: http://catt.bus.okstate.edu/jones98/cone.htm

Botanic Trees

Implementation of botanic trees within the Hierarchical Visualisation System (HVS). HVS is an integrated user interface framework for multiple orthogonal visualisations of hierarchical structures. Implemented in Java.

Related work: https://win.tue.nl/~vanwijk/botatree.pdf

Information Slices / Disc Trees

Implementation of disc trees within the Hierarchical Visualisation System (HVS). HVS is an integrated user interface framework for multiple orthogonal visualisations of hierarchical structures. Implemented in Java.

Related work:
https://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/ii/sunburst/ and https://ftp.isds.tugraz.at/pub/papers/ivis98.pdf