Data Visualization Platform Performance Optimization

• US 20100277507A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ruble, B. Scott, Allyn, Barry Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,638,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures

Abstract

Data visualization platform optimization may be provided. Applications may provide data values and request creation of a visualization from a data visualization platform (DVP). The DVP may composite a plurality of geometry records associated with a subset of the visualization'"'"'s data values. The application may render the visualization by iterating through the geometry vectors and translating a subset of the vectors into drawing instructions for output to a display device.

Claims

1. A method for providing visualization platform optimization, the method comprising:

defining a visualization;

creating a plurality of geometry records;

receiving a request to display the visualization;

iterating through the plurality of geometry vectors;

translating at least one of the plurality of geometry records into at least one drawing instruction; and

displaying the visualization on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein iterating through the plurality of geometry vectors comprises skipping at least one of the plurality of geometry vectors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein skipping at least one of the plurality of geometry vectors comprises determining whether the at least one of the plurality of geometry vectors is associated with at least one criterion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one criterion comprises at least one of the following:

a display size, a data type, a visualization type, a total number of data points to be displayed, a total number of the plurality of geometry vectors, a size of an amount of overlap between display objects.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the at least one of the plurality of geometry records comprises a pixel location associated with at least one second vector of the plurality of geometry records; and

in response to determining that the at least one of the plurality of geometry records comprises a pixel location associated with the at least one second vector of the plurality of geometry records, skipping the at least one second vector of the plurality of geometry vectors.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a plurality of the translated geometry records to an application; and

rendering the plurality of the translated geometry records for display by the application.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a request from the application for a batch of translated geometry records;

sending a subset of the plurality of the translated geometry records to the application, wherein the subset of the plurality of the translated geometry records comprises a number of translated geometry records associated with the received batch request; and

waiting to send a remaining subset of the plurality of translated geometry records.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the at least one of the plurality of geometry records into at least one drawing instruction comprises linearizing at least one of the plurality of geometry vectors.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one supported drawing instruction, wherein translating the at least one of the plurality of geometry records into at least one drawing instruction comprises translating the at least one of the plurality of geometry records into the at least one supported drawing instruction.

10. A system for providing visualization platform optimization, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

create a visualization object associated with a plurality of data values,

composite at least one first value of the plurality of data values into a geometry vector associated with the visualization object, and

skip compositing at least one second value of the plurality of data values.

11. The system of claim 10, further operative to composite a subset of the plurality of data values into a plurality of geometry vectors associated with the visualization object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the subset of the plurality of data values is selected according to a predefined criterion.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the predefined criterion is user configurable.

14. The system of claim 11, further operative to render the visualization object, wherein being operative to render the visualization object comprises being operative to:

translate at least one of the plurality of geometry vectors into at least one drawing instruction.

15. The system of claim 14, further operative to translate a subset of the plurality of geometry vectors into a plurality of drawing instructions, wherein the subset of the plurality of geometry vectors is selected according to a geometry skipping algorithm.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the geometry skipping algorithm comprises an algorithm operative to:

translate at least one first vector of the plurality of geometry vectors into at least one drawing instruction,

iterate to at least one second vector of the plurality of geometry vectors;

determine whether the at least one second vector of the plurality of geometry vectors comprises a point on the visualization object proximate to a point on the visualization object associated with the at least one first vector; and

in response to determining that the at least one second vector of the plurality of geometry vectors comprises a point on the visualization object proximate to a point on the visualization object associated with the at least one first vector, skip translating the at least one second vector into at least one drawing instruction.

17. The system of claim 14, further operative to:

receive at least one change to the visualization object; and

in response to receiving the at least one change to the visualization object, re-rendering the visualization object.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one change to the visualization object comprises at least one of the following:

a re-size of the visualization object, a zoom in on the visualization object, a zoom out on the visualization object, a movement of the visualization object, a partial covering of the visualization object, and a movement of an application.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user application operative to render the visualization object to a display device.

20. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for optimizing a visualization platform, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving a request from a user application to create a visualization object, wherein the request comprises a plurality of data values and a visualization type;

compositing a plurality of geometry vectors associated with the visualization object, wherein compositing the plurality of geometry vectors comprises;

compositing at least one geometry vector associated with at least one of the plurality of data values, and

skipping at least one of the plurality of data values according to a configurable granularity;

receiving a render request from the user application;

translating each of a subset of the plurality of geometry vectors into at least one drawing instruction, wherein the subset of the plurality of geometry vectors is selected according to a geometry skipping algorithm;

sending the at least one drawing instruction associated with each of the subset of the plurality of geometry vectors to the user application;

rendering the visualization object, wherein rendering the visualization object comprises rendering the at least one drawing instruction associated with each of the subset of the plurality of geometry vectors to a display device;

receiving a second render request from the user application in response to a detected change affecting the rendered visualization object;

translating each of a second subset of the plurality of geometry vectors into at least one drawing instruction;

sending the at least one drawing instruction associated with each of the second subset of the plurality of geometry vectors to the user application; and

re-rendering the visualization object.