U.S.-Italy Cooperative Research in Visual Languages

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This award will support Prof. Shi-Kuo Chang of the University of Pittsburgh in a research collaboration with Prof. G. Tortora of the Universita di Salerno, Italy. The principal objective of the proposed research is to investigate the fundamental methodologies and theories of visual languages. In particular, they propose to investigate the methodology for the design of a visual language compiler, called the SIL-ICON Compiler. The SIL-ICON Compiler is a software system for the specification, interpretation, proto- typing, and generation of icon-oriented systems. The design of the SIL-ICON compiler is based upon the theory of generalized icons. A generalized icon is an object with the dual representation of a logical part (the meaning) and a physical part (the image). By bringing together experienced teams of inves- tigators to combine resources and talent, this international project has the potential not only to provide insights into both the theoretical understanding of visual languages and visual concepts, but also to furnish practical applications in novel user interface design for database applications.