Infotähistus

Infotähistus is a concept in information visualization and knowledge representation describing a star-like constellation visualization in which information elements are laid out as nodes connected by edges to reflect semantic or structural relationships. The arrangement emphasizes radial structure, with a central idea or dataset at the core and related elements radiating outward, forming clusters that resemble constellations.

The term blends the English word information with the Finnish word tähistus, commonly associated with constellations or star displays, and is used mainly in Finnish-speaking discourse to evoke a celestial mapping of data. It is a metaphorical approach rather than a prescriptive standard, with various implementations depending on the data model and design goals.

Key characteristics include a radial layout, hierarchical or layered connections, and visual cues such as color, size, and edge thickness to signal relevance or type. Interactive features often accompany infotähistus designs, including zooming, filtering, node focus, and link exploration, to manage complexity in larger datasets.

Applications span dashboards, knowledge maps, education, and exploratory data analysis, where users seek to understand how disparate items relate within a broader system. Advantages include intuitive mapping of relationships, scalable representation of many items, and support for narrative storytelling. Limitations include potential crowding in dense datasets, ambiguity in edge semantics, and the need for careful visual encoding to avoid misinterpretation.

See also: Information visualization, network visualization, knowledge graph, metaphor in data design.