Visage is a prototype software environment for exploring and visualizing large amounts of diverse information. It represents a synthesis of the SAGE system and the Webs data navigation interface developed at MAYA Design Group.

Visage represents an approach to coordinating visualizations and analytical tools in data-intensive domains. It is based on an information-centric approach to user interface design which strives to eliminate impediments to direct user access to information objects across applications and visualizations. It provides techniques for locating, selecting, visualizing, manipulating, and analyzing information. It also provides a user interface for sharing information among other data analysis and presentation tools.

Visage consists of a set of data manipulation operations, an intelligent system for generating a wide variety of data visualizations and a briefing tool that converts visual displays used in interactive presentation slides.

The Visage environment consists of four primary components:

• a unique data navigation method using drill-down and roll-up techniques for navigating diverse data bases;
• an information-centric drag-and-drop user-interface paradigm;
• the ubiquitous availability of intelligent visualization tools;
• and briefing features that break down the walls between data exploration and briefing, permitting full, direct interaction with presentation-quality graphics.

These components are illustrated in this sequence of sample visualizations in HTML.

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