Are tiled display walls needed for astronomy?

TL;DR

This study evaluates whether tiled display walls enhance astronomical image analysis, finding they improve target search efficiency, especially for non-experts, with content type influencing success, suggesting TDWs are beneficial for astronomical research.

Contribution

The paper provides empirical evidence that tiled display walls improve image search tasks in astronomy, highlighting their advantages over standard displays and the importance of content and user expertise.

Findings

TDWs improve search for small targets in large images.

Astronomers outperform non-astronomers in image search tasks.

Physical navigation enhances search performance.

Abstract

Clustering commodity displays into a Tiled Display Wall (TDW) provides a cost-effective way to create an extremely high resolution display, capable of approaching the image sizes now gen- erated by modern astronomical instruments. Astronomers face the challenge of inspecting single large images, many similar images simultaneously, and heterogeneous but related content. Many research institutions have constructed TDWs on the basis that they will improve the scientific outcomes of astronomical imagery. We test this concept by presenting sample images to astronomers and non- astronomers using a standard desktop display (SDD) and a TDW. These samples include standard English words, wide field galaxy surveys and nebulae mosaics from the Hubble telescope. These experiments show that TDWs provide a better environment for searching for small targets in large images than SDDs. It also shows that astronomers tend to be better at searching images for targets than non-astronomers, both groups are generally better when employing physical navigation as opposed to virtual navigation, and that the combination of two non-astronomers using a TDW rivals the experience of a single astronomer. However, there is also a large distribution in aptitude amongst the participants and the nature of the content also plays a significant role is success.