Interactive poster: Interactive multiobjective optimization - a new application area for visual analytics

The poster introduces interactive multiobjective optimization (IMO) as a field offering new application possibilities and challenges for visual analytics (VA), and aims at inspiring collaboration between the two fields. Our aim is to collect new ideas in order to be able to utilize VA techniques more effectively in our user interface development. Simulation-based IMO methods are developed for complex problem solving, where the expert decision maker (analyst) should be supported during the iterative process of eliciting preference information and examining the resulting output data. IMO is a subfield of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM). In simulation-based IMO, the optimization task is formulated in a mathematical model containing several conflicting objectives and constraints depending on decision variables. While using IMO methods the analyst progressively provides preference information in order to find the most satisfactory compromise between the conflicting objectives. In the poster, the implementations of two new IMO methods are used as examples to demonstrate concrete challenges of interaction design. One of them is described in this summary.