Method and apparatus for visualizing correlations among and between objects and events

• US 20020158918A1
• Filed: 03/27/2002
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Greene, Elena, Feibush, Eliot, Gagvani, Nikhil
• Application Number:
  US10/108,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20020158918A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data

Abstract

A method and apparatus for visualizing correlations among and between objects and events stores objects, events, and correlations to form a query space. The query space includes a correlation graph having a node for each of the objects and events, and an edge for each of the correlations. Each of the edges in the correlation graph connects either two of the nodes, or one of the nodes and another one of the edges. In response to a query performed in the query space, the present invention visualizes at least a subset of the nodes and edges to form a result space.

Claims

1. A method of visualizing correlations among and between objects and events comprising:

storing objects, events, and correlations to form a query space, the query space having a node for each of the objects and events, and an edge for each of the correlations, each edge connecting either two of the nodes or one of the nodes and another of the edges; and

visualizing at least a subset of the nodes and edges to form a result space in response to a query performed in the query space.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

classifying each event as one of an event associated with an object and an event associated with a correlation between two objects.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

classifying each correlation as one of a correlation between an object and an event, a correlation between two objects, a correlation between two events, and a correlation between an event and a correlation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each edge is associated with a weight.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each weight is a probability representing the certainty of the respective correlation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of visualizing comprises representing the nodes and edges using a plurality of graphical icons on a display.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of visualizing comprises representing the nodes and edges using a physical model.

8. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of visualizing correlations among and between objects and events comprising:

storing objects, events, and correlations to form a query space, the query space having a node for each of the objects and events, and an edge for each of the correlations, each edge connecting either two of the nodes or one of the nodes and another of the edges; and

visualizing at least a subset of the nodes and edges to form a result space in response to a query performed in the query space.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8 further comprising:

classifying each event as one of an event associated with an object and an event associated with a correlation between two objects.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8 further comprising:

classifying each correlation as one of a correlation between an object and an event, a correlation between objects, a correlation between events, and a correlation between an event and a correlation.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein each edge is associated with a weight.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein each weight is a probability representing the certainty of the respective correlation.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the step of visualizing comprises representing the nodes and edges using a plurality of graphical icons on a display.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

means for classifying each event as one of an event associated with an object and an event associated with a correlation between two objects.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

means for classifying each correlation as one of a correlation between an object and an event, a correlation between objects, a correlation between events, and a correlation between an event and a correlation.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein each edge is associated with a weight.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each weight is a probability representing the certainty of the respective correlation.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the means for visualizing comprises a display for representing the nodes and edges using a plurality of graphical icons.

14. An apparatus for visualizing correlations among and between objects and events comprising:

means for storing objects, events, and correlations to form a query space, the query space having a node for each of the objects and events, and an edge for each of the correlations, each edge connecting either two of the nodes or one of the nodes and another of the edges; and

means for visualizing at least a subset of the nodes and edges to form a result space in response to a query performed in the query space.