Visualizing Uncertainty in Machine Translation and Speech Recognition

Lattice graphs are used as underlying data structures in many statistical processing systems, including natural language processing. Lattices compactly represent multiple possible outputs and are usually hidden from users. We present a novel visualization intended to reveal the uncertainty and variability inherent in statistically-derived lattice structures. Applications such as machine translation and automated speech recognition typically present users with a best-guess about the appropriate output, with apparent complete confidence. Through case studies we show how our visualization uses a hybrid layout along with varying transparency, colour, and size to reveal the lattice structure, expose the inherent uncertainty in statistical processing, and help users make better-informed decisions about statistically-derived outputs.

Full paper published at EuroVis 2007: http://www.cs.utoronto.ca/~ccollins/research/latticeVis/index.html

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• eurovis
• uncertainty
• machine translation

[pranavaswaroop]

Is this open? I mean can I see the code?

[pranavaswaroop]

very interesting!