Is it Now Time to Establish Visualization Science as a Scientific Discipline?

It is now time to establish visualization science as a scientific discipline. The proposed deadline to achieve this is 2010. Today, research areas in visualization are isolated. What is missing is the big picture and mutual agendas. To establish visualization science as a discipline, researchers need to agree on the origins and areas of visualization research; then on the long-term (e.g., 2020) research goals. The benefit of an established discipline is more impact, both in teaching (curricula) and research (e.g., framework programmes of the European Union). This article aims to start the discussion on a synthesis through extended definitions and a big picture. It provides an example for a sharp and extended definition of a field that today is vaguely defined: information architecture. Finally, it proposes a draft of the big picture of the fields, the visualization science fingerprint, thus a step towards an established visualization science