Interpretive Computing Over Visualizations, Data And Analytics

• US 20090322743A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rubin, Darryl E., Mital, Vijay, Voss, Florian, Gittelman, Arye
• Granted Patent: US 8,411,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics

Abstract

Visual items may each be constructed and placed in position using logic defined by a view component corresponding to each visual item, where that logic may depend on one or more values populated into parameter(s) of the view component. Some of those parameter values may correspond to known model parameter values. Others, however, may have been solved for using a model that defines analytical relationships between the model parameters. In one embodiment, which of the model parameters are known, and which are unknown, may not be predetermined. Accordingly, a solver might be prepared for multiple solve operation paths even using a single model. The view composition process may be entirely data-driven, and may include a mechanism for canonicalizing input data, and binding canonicalized input data to the model parameters. The view composition framework may operate the same regardless of the domain.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a view comprising a plurality of visual items, the method comprising:

an act of accessing input data that at least collectively affects what visual items are displayed or how a given one or more of the visual items are displayed;

an act of binding the input data to a plurality of model parameters by binding at least some of the input data to at least some of a plurality of model parameters, wherein the model defines analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters;

an act of solving for one or more output model variables after the act of binding;

an act of binding the model parameters, including at least one of the one or more output model variables whose value solved for in the act of solving as input parameters to one or more parameterized view components; and

an act of generating a view of visual items corresponding to the view components using the parameter value(s) bound to at least some of the view components in the act of binding the model parameters.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of generating a view of visual items is performed using an analytical model that defines relationships between the model parameters as input parameters and a graphical representation in the form of one or more output parameters.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the visual item is an animation.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the visual animation item includes a plurality of input animation parameters that may each be designated as variable for purposes of animation.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein one of the input animation parameters is time such that the animation outputs a visualization that varies over a time variable.

6. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein one of the input animation parameters is not a time variable such that the animation outputs a visualization that varies over some variable other than time.

7. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the visual animation item may also include a control that allows the animation to be stopped midstream.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the visual animation may also allow an input parameter of the visual animation item to be altered prior to continuing the animation.

9. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 1, wherein the identity of the plurality of model parameters, and the analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters may be declaratively defined.

10. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 9, wherein the analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters includes at least one equation.

11. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 9, wherein the analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters includes at least one rule.

12. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 9, wherein the analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters includes at least one constraint.

13. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of detecting that a user has interacted with a rendering of the view on the display.

14. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 13, further comprising:

an act of determining that the type of the user interaction does not require regeneration of the view.

15. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 13, further comprising:

an act of determining that the type of the user interaction does require regeneration of the view; and

an act of regenerating the view in response to the user interaction.

16. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 15, wherein the act of regenerating the view comprises:

an act of identifying that one of the model parameters that was previously known is now unknown as a result of the user interaction;

an act of solving for the newly unknown model parameter;

an act of binding the newly solved-for model parameters as an input parameter to the one or more parameterized view components; and

an act of regenerating the view of visual items corresponding to the view components using the newly-bound parameter value(s).

17. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 16, wherein the identity of known and unknown model parameters may change from one solve iteration to the next.

18. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of solving for one or more model parameters that remains an unknown after the act of binding comprises:

an act of coordinating the solving operations of multiple heterogenic solvers.

19. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer-readable media having thereon one or more computer-executable instruction(s) that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to generate a composite view of visual items using the following components:

a view components repository that is capable of containing a plurality of heterogenic view components, each corresponding to a visual item that may be displayed, and at least some of which being parameterized;

a model-visual binding component configured to bind a plurality of model parameter values to parameter(s) of at least one of the parameterized view components; and

a view composition module configured to formulate instructions for rendering a view that contains at least some of the visual items corresponding to the plurality of heterogenic view components, wherein for at least some of the visual items that are to be rendered in the view, view component logic associated with the corresponding view component dictates the manner in which the rendering of the visual item occurs such that the rendering is dependent upon one or more parameters of the corresponding view component.

20. A computer program product in accordance with claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instruction(s) are further structured such that, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing system, the computing system generates the composite view of visual items using further the following components:

a modeling component that

     1) defines analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters,

     2) identifies which of the plurality of model parameters are known and which are unknown, and

     3) solves for the unknown model parameter(s) that are identified as being unknown, and

     4) makes the known model parameters and the previously unknown but solved for model parameters available to the model-visual binding component such that the value(s) of the plurality of model parameters may be bound to parameter(s) of the parameterized view components.

21. A computer program product in accordance with claim 20, wherein the modeling component is configured to solve for the unknown model parameters wherein even within a single model, the unknown model parameters may change from one solve operation to the next.

22. A computer program product in accordance with claim 20, wherein the analytical relationships may be defined using symbols that may apply to multiple data types of the model parameters.

23. A computer program product in accordance with claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instruction(s) are further structured such that, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing system, the computing system generates the composite view of visual items using further the following components:

a data canonicalization component that is configured to present heterogenic data in a canonicalized format;

a data-model binding component configured to bind portions of the canonicalized data from the data canonicalization component to corresponding model parameters of the plurality of model parameters.

24. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer-readable media having thereon one or more computer-executable instruction(s) that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to generate a composite view of visual items using the following plurality of components:

a data access component configured to access heterogenic data that drives construction of the composite view of visual items;

a data canonicalization component that is configured to present the heterogenic input data in a canonicalized format;

a data-model binding component configured to bind portions of the canonicalized data from the data canonicalization component to corresponding model parameters of the plurality of model parameters;

a modeling component that

     1) defines analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters,

     2) identifies which of the plurality of model parameters are known and which are unknown, and

     3) solves for the unknown model parameter(s) that are identified as being unknown, and

     4) makes the known model parameters and the previously unknown but solved for model parameters available to a model-visual binding component such that the value(s) of the plurality of model parameters may be bound to parameter(s) of the parameterized view components;

a view components repository that is capable of containing a plurality of heterogenic view components, each corresponding to a visual item that may be displayed, and at least some of which being parameterized;

a model-visual binding component configured to bind the plurality of model parameter values to parameter(s) of at least one of a parameterized view components contained within the view components repository; and

a view composition module configured to formulate instructions for rendering a view that contains at least some of the visual items corresponding to the plurality of heterogenic view components, wherein for at least some of the visual items that are to be rendered in the view, view component logic associated with the corresponding view component dictates the manner in which the rendering of the visual item occurs such that the rendering is dependent upon one or more parameters of the corresponding view component.

25. A computer program product in accordance with claim 24, wherein the computer-executable instruction(s) are further structured such that, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing system, the computing system regenerates the composite view of visual items in response to user manipulation of the composite view of visual items:

a user input detection component configured to detect interaction of the user with the composite view, determine which of the plurality of components should perform further work in order to regenerate the composite view, and provide data representing the user interaction to at least one of the determined plurality of components.