Elizabeth Carvalho

Exploring User-generated Data Visualization in the Accommodation Sector

An important part of our information-gathering behavior has always been to find out what other people think. People now actively use information technologies to seek out and understand the opinions of others. This is due to the availability and popularity of opinion-rich resources such as online review sites and blogs. The accommodation sector is one of those where the guest opinion dictates its future. This sector needs to adapt and update the services they offer to their guests in order to stay competitive. In this paper we outline the potential use of tree-oriented visual techniques to map 1500 online reviews collected from 50 small and medium hotels (SMH). Our goal is to deliver visually the results of these reviews as straightforward and intuitively as possible to the accommodation managers, enabling them use it to support their decision making.

Visualização de Informação de Opiniões Online sobre Restaurantes: Uso de Técnicas Orientadas à Visualização de Grafos

The scientific interest in the analysis of online reviews available on the Web 2.0 is growing. The results are usually massive and made available in tabular or textual format. As a result, the readability of information is reduced and consequently the human-machine interaction is compromised. Moreover, the area of Information Visualization (VI) can be a valuable help to remedy this deficiency, but has been little explored in this context. This article introduces a novel application of techniques of graph-oriented visualization from the data analysis of online reviews about restaurants. Special emphasis is given to the visual mapping of the main aspects mentioned (e.g., the quality of food or service) as well as the type of attitude expressed in the opinion (e.g., appreciation or judgment). Views are designed to support the decision-making process of restauranteurs, customers and prospective customers.