New approaches to data processing, archiving, analysis and visualization are nowadays mandatory to deal with the data deluge expected in next generation facilities for astronomy, such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA).

The unprecedented data volumes produced by these facilities will demand not only enhanced visualization capabilities but also efficient extraction of meaningful knowledge, allowing for breakthrough discoveries. To address such needs, Visual Analytics (VA) has emerged as a novel approach to support interactive data exploration and analysis.

In this article we present ViaLactea, a Visual Analytics service tailored to the exploitation of multi-wavelength astrophysical surveys of the Galactic Plane to study the star formation process of the MilkyWay.