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W. Aigner, S. Miksch:
"Visualization of Time-Oriented Data: A Comprehensive Survey";
Report for Asgaard-TR-2005-1; 2005; 214 pages.

This document contains a comprehensive survey on the state of the art of visualization techniques for time-oriented data.
As theoretical foundation we examine the basic conceptual structure of time-oriented data and present typical tasks as well as possible visual mappings of time. We focus mainly on interactive Information Visualization techniques, but also include "classical" non-interactive data visualization techniques. The investigated techniques are classified along ten categories, particularly created for the demands of temporal data. Moreover, the visualization techniques are characterized using distinct attributes of the involved time model, visualized data, representation and interaction issues, as well as tasks and application domains.
Besides the survey and classification of Information Visualization techniques, we present miscellaneous application-specific representations, examples of interactive timelines, web- and media art pro jects as well as representations of time in visual arts. Generally, we will focus on the visualization of abstract data, where no natural mapping of
data attributes to the physical world exists.