View composition system for synthesizing multiple visual representations of multiple data sets

• US 6,867,788 B1
• Filed: 06/08/1999
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Takeda, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Daniel J
• Application Number:
  US09/327,512
• Time in Patent Office: 2,107 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/630, 345/632, 345/633, 345/440, 345/440.1, 345/440.2
• US Class Current: 345/630
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

To provide a more flexible and higher level visualization technique for combining a plurality of analysis methods and visual representations, a view composition system, for combining a plurality of visual representations, includes a view manager for managing as a view a set of data for individual visual representation, a view retriever for retrieving from a plurality of views those views that can be combined, and a view composer for combining the views obtained by the view retriever. Optionally, a view displayer, displays the view produced by the view composer. The view composition system can combine a plurality of views using the superimposition of views and neighboring dimensions that have compatible domains.

Claims

1. A view composition system, for combining multiple visual representations to provide a combined view constituted by sets of data for visualization, each set of data described by using at least one of a number of dimensions, domains for the individual dimensions, calculation procedures for arranging individual elements in the view, and an inclusion relationship of the domains, said system comprising:

a view manager for managing, as a plurality of views, sets of data for individual visual representation;

a view retriever for retrieving combinable views from the plurality of views, enabling presentation of alternative representations of data from the sets of data; and

a view composer for automatically combining views from said combinable views retrieved by said view retriever without user intervention,

wherein said combined views comprise a synthesis of multiple visual representations of multiple sets of data,

wherein each one of said multiple sets of data provides at least one view, and

wherein each said view comprises a logical entity with associated domains and visual means for mapping each data element into a visual structure.

2. The view composition system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a view displayer for displaying the views that are combined by said view composer.

3. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein said visual representations include at least one of a graph data, chart data, a database, table data;

and text data.

4. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein each of said visual representations includes a name of said visual representation, a number of dimensions and a domain for each dimension, calculation procedures, and a hierarchical relationship and a corresponding relationship between domains.

5. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein the view description, comprising the number of dimensions, the domains for individual dimensions, the calculation procedures for arranging elements, the inclusionship relation of the domains, and a superordinate/subordinate relationship, are stored as a set of visual representations on a storage device.

6. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein views to be combined are interactively designated.

7. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein said view retriever provides for a superimposition of views.

8. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein said view retriever provides for a neighboring of views.

9. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein said view retriever provides for an ad hoc combination of views.

10. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein said view composer for combining said views produces a cross-shaped form.

11. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein said view composer produces a view arranged diagonally relative to a view of a main data set.

12. The view composition system according to claim 1, wherein said view composer for combining views of a main data set and a neighboring view of said main data set produces a view arranged in a descending order of correlation.

13. The view composition system according to claim 2, wherein said view displayer provides interactive designation of at least one of:

designation of a main data set;

designation of views for said main data set;

designation of views for a data set other than said main data set;

an arrangement of said views for said main data set and said data set other than said main data set; and

selection to determine whether an ad hoc mapping is permitted for a specific view.

19. The view composition system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said view retriever computes possible combinations of said visual representations for multiple sets of data.

20. The view composition system, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a view materialization mechanism for automatically generating composed views from said multiple sets of data.

21. The view composition method according to claim 1, wherein said combined views are mathematically defined by domains and visual structures.

22. The view composition method according to claim 1, wherein a graphical object and a size, shape, color, and coordinate in a display are physically assigned.

23. The view composition method according to claim 1, wherein a graphical representation is recomputed when a new collection of data records is provided.

14. A view composition method, for combining multiple visual representations to provide a combined view constituted by sets of data for visualization, each set of data described by using at least one of a number of dimensions, domains for the individual dimensions, calculation procedures for arranging individual elements in the view, and an inclusion relationship of the domains, said method comprising:

selecting from a main data set a view that has the lowest total generation parameter, said selected view including a combination of two independent collections of entities;

determining for data sets that differ from said main data set, views that can be combined with said selected view and that have the lowest predetermined parameters, enabling, presentation of alternative representations of data from the differing data sets; and

combining said selected view and views from said determined views,

wherein each said view comprises a logical entity with associated domains and visual means for mapping each data element into a visual structure, and

wherein each of said main data set and each one of said data sets that differ from said main data set provide at least one view.

15. The view composition method according to claim 14, wherein determining said views that can be combined comprises determining a view having a lowest pre-determined parameter to be any of the view that is to be superimposed, a neighboring view that is to be in a first dimension that correspond to the X axis, and a neighboring view that is to be in a second dimension that corresponds to the Y axis.

16. The view composition method according to claim 14, wherein combining said selected view and views from said determined views further includes arranging, in a pre-determined parameter order, beginning with the lowest pre-determined parameter, views that are to constitute neighbors in the dimensions that correspond to the X axis and the Y axis.

24. The medium according to claim 14, wherein said combined selected view and said determined views are mathematically defined in terms of domains and visual structures.

17. A medium for storing a program for combining multiple visual representations to provide a combined view constituted by sets of data for visualization, each set of data described by using at least one of a number of dimensions, domains for the individual dimensions, calculation procedures for arranging individual elements in the view, and an inclusion relationship of the domains, said program comprising:

a view management function for managing, as a plurality of views, sets of data for individual visual representation;

a view retrieval function for retrieving combinable views from the plurality of views, enabling presentation of alternative representations of data from the sets of data; and

a view composer function for automatically combining views from said combinable views retrieved by said view retrieval function without user intervention,

wherein said combined views comprise a synthesis of multiple visual representations of multiple sets of data,

wherein each one of said multiple sets of data provides at least one view, and

wherein each said view comprises a logical entity with associated domains and visual means for mapping each data element into a visual structure.

18. The medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein said program further comprises a view display function for displaying the views formed by said view composer function.

25. The medium according to claim 17, wherein said combined views are mathematically defined by domains and visual structures.

26. The medium according to claim 17, wherein a graphical object and a size shape, color, and coordinate in a display are physically assigned.

27. The medium according to claim 17, wherein a graphical representation is recomputed when a new collection of data records are provided.