In cooperation with the Database Systems Group Dresden (Chair of Databases), we are looking for a student assistant to support the development of a tool for visual debugging and analysis of data queries.

If you are interested in applying your skills in software/web development and solving a very specific application problem with a new/improved software tool, we look forward to receiving your application!

Problem Definition

  • Data requests can be very complex in extreme cases, consisting of many hundreds of individual but chained actions
  • As usual for complex software development, the analysis or search for problems (e.g. performance) or errors (e.g. incorrect results) is also very difficult in these queries
  • In addition to simple text views, there are also tools available to show such queries visually (as lists or graph visualizations, such as https://explain.dalibo.com/)
  • However, state-of-the-art tools can only be used to a limited extent for such complex queries
  • We see a lot of development potential in the application of current Visualization and HCI research
  • A broad portfolio of well-known and established visualization and interaction techniques is available to improve or develop a modern and helpful tool for visual debugging and analysis of data queries

Task Description

In general, the primary task is to extend an existing application to display data queries. The following subtasks and activities are to be accomplished in the collaboration:

  • Familiarization with and analysis of the existing application (GitHub, see also the figure below)
  • Specify requirements together with the two research groups
  • Creating and discussing proposed solutions, i.e. developing visualization and interaction concepts
  • Software-side implementation of various ideas/concepts, planning and structured realization (software development)
  • Testing and evaluating the developed concepts, functionalities and software components

Requirements

Ideally, interested candidates should have experience and skills in several of the following areas:

  • Web development, modern web-based frameworks/libraries/toolkits; absolutely HTML, CSS, and Javascript, even better Typescript, Web Components, SVG/Canvas/WebGL
  • Interactive information visualization, visual data exploration/analysis (e.g. through courses InfoVis and DataVis)
  • Natural user interfaces, user interface development (e.g. through courses AUI and UIE)
  • Sehr gute Kommunikations- und Organisationsfähigkeit, Selbstständigkeit und Zuverlässigkeit, strukturierte Arbeitsweise

Conditions

  • Working hours typically between 8 and 10 hours per week
  • Generally, the work location is flexible (remote is possible), powerful computers for development work are available in laboratories on site, consultations and meetings can take place on site in the Faculty of Computer Science
  • Payment based on SHK hourly rate
  • Long-term cooperation is possible, employment duration typically by semester
  • Fastest possible hiring

Interested?

If you are interested, please send an e-mail to Marc Satkowski and Ricardo Langner.