USING PERSPECTIVE TO VISUALIZE DATA

• US 20170046872A1
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Horn, Stephanie, Geselowitz, Lewey, Fitzgibbon, Andrew, Banks, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 10,290,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data

Abstract

A system is provided that allows a user to visualize data. A dataset that includes a plurality of data items arranged in a two-dimensional (2D) format is received. A request to visualize the dataset in three dimensions is then received. A three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the dataset is then generated based on this request. This 3D visualization adds a third dimension to the 2D arrangement of data items, where the extent of the third dimension is commensurate with the type and value of the data items. This 3D visualization includes an initial depiction of the dataset which is generated from a point of view that is specified by this request. The initial depiction of the dataset is then displayed on a display device of the system in lieu of the dataset itself.

Claims

1. A system for allowing a user to visualize data, comprising:

a computing device comprising a display device; and

a computer program having program modules executable by the computing device, the computing device being directed by the program modules of the computer program to,

receive a dataset of data items comprising a plurality of data types wherein each data item is associated with a 2D region in a 2D arrangement of the data items,

receive a request to visualize the dataset in three dimensions,

generate a three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the dataset based on said request,

said 3D visualization adding a third dimension to at least some of the data items of said 2D arrangement of data items, the extent of the third dimension for a data item being commensurate with the type and a value of the data item,

said 3D visualization comprising an initial depiction of the dataset which is generated from a point of view that is specified by said request, and

display the initial depiction of the dataset on the display device in lieu of the dataset itself.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the initial depiction of the dataset is generated from a point of view that is either precisely or substantially orthogonal to said 2D arrangement of data items and thus provides the appearance of a 2D depiction of the dataset.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the initial depiction of the dataset is generated from a prescribed point of view that is not precisely or substantially orthogonal to said 2D arrangement of data items and thus provides a 3D depiction of the dataset.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further directed by the program modules of the computer program to,

receive a request to manipulate the initial depiction of the dataset that is displayed on the display device, said manipulation request being initiated from within said initial depiction, and

display a revised depiction of the dataset on the display device in lieu of the dataset itself, said revised depiction being based on said manipulation request.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, whenever said manipulation request changes the point of view along a path of rotation, the revised depiction of the dataset is generated from said changing point of view.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the path of rotation is either pre-defined, or controlled by the user interactively.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein,

whenever said manipulation request selects one of the data items, the path of rotation is oriented around the selected data item, and

whenever said manipulation request does not select one of the data items, the path of rotation is oriented around the centroid of the initial depiction of the dataset that is displayed on the display device.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein said 2D arrangement of data items comprises a plurality of columns and one or more rows, and whenever said manipulation request selects one or more of the columns, the revised depiction of the dataset adds the third dimension to just the data items in the selected one or more columns.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein said manipulation request specifies a data operation comprising one of:

a data sorting operation, or

a data filtering operation, or

a data graphing operation, or

a data editing operation.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein, whenever the point of view from which a given depiction of the dataset is generated is not precisely or substantially orthogonal to said 2D arrangement of data items and thus provides a 3D depiction of the dataset, the intensity of each of the data items in said 2D arrangement of data items is determined based on the distance from the point of view to the data item, said intensity decreasing as said distance increases.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said 2D arrangement of data items comprises a plurality of columns and one or more rows, and the extent of the third dimension is determined for each of the columns independently.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the data items is a text string, and the extent of the third dimension for each of said one or more of the data items is determined using a prescribed scoring function comprising one of:

an alphabetic scoring function, or

a frequency of occurrence scoring function.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the program module for displaying the initial depiction of the dataset on the display device in lieu of the dataset itself comprises a program module for displaying the value of each of the data items on top of the third dimension that is added thereto.

14. A system for allowing a user to visualize data, comprising:

a computing device comprising a display device;

one or more different user input mechanisms which are utilized by the user to input requests into the computing device; and

a computer program having program modules executable by the computing device, the computing device being directed by the program modules of the computer program to,

receive a dataset of data items comprising a plurality of data types wherein each data item is associated with a 2D region in a 2D arrangement of the data items,

receive a request to visualize the dataset in three dimensions,

generate a three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the dataset based on said request,

said 3D visualization adding a third dimension to at least some of the data items of said 2D arrangement of data items, the extent of the third dimension for a data item being commensurate with the type and a value of the data item,

said 3D visualization comprising an initial depiction of the dataset which is generated from a point of view that is specified by said request,

display the initial depiction of the dataset on the display device in lieu of the dataset itself,

receive a request to manipulate the initial depiction of the dataset, and

display a revised depiction of the dataset on the display device in lieu of the dataset itself, said revised depiction being based on said manipulation request.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user input mechanisms comprise one or more of:

a physical keyboard that is either integrated into the computing device or externally connected thereto;

or

a mouse that is externally connected to the computing device;

or

a handheld remote controller that is externally connected to the computing device;

or

a trackpad that is either integrated into the computing device or externally connected thereto.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is touch-enabled, and the user input mechanisms comprise one or more of:

finger-based screen-contacting gestures that are made by the user;

or

stylus-based screen-contacting gestures that are made by the user.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is voice-enabled, and the user input mechanisms comprise speech that the user utters.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is vision-enabled, and the user input mechanisms comprise one or more of:

gaze-based gestures that are made by the user;

or

hand-based in-air gestures that are made by the user.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is motion-enabled, and the user input mechanisms comprise movements of the computing device that are made by the user.

20. (canceled)