Graphical data display system and method

• US 6,900,808 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Lassiter, Kerry Smith, Massengill, Alan Darrell, Wimmer, Frank Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US10/113,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 345/440.1, 345/440.2
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A graphical data display facilitates the analysis of source data values with respect to a data characteristic by arranging a plurality of display bands with corresponding display indicators according to the characteristic.

Claims

1. A graphical data display for facilitating analysis of a plurality of source data values with respect to a predetermined data characteristic, the graphical data display comprising:

a plurality of display bands, each of the display bands having a spatial arrangement with respect to each other in order to visually provide information regarding the predetermined data characteristic;

wherein at least one display band is a primary display band based upon the predetermined data characteristic; and

a display indicator associated with each display band, said display indicator indicating a value in its associated display band based upon at least one of the source data values, each display band providing a range region within which the associated display indicator may indicate the value;

wherein the display indicator associated with the primary display band is indicative of a value that is dependent on the values indicated by the display indicators associated with the other display bands, the dependence based on a statistical characteristic of the values indicated by the display indicators associated with the other display bands.

2. The graphical data display of claim 1 wherein the primary display band has a spatial arrangement with respect to the other display bands such that the order of the primary display band relative to any other display band in the display is first.

3. The graphical data display of claim 1 wherein the primary display band has a spatial arrangement with respect to the other display bands such that the order of the primary display band relative to any other display band in the display is last.

4. A graphical data display for facilitating analysis of a plurality of source data values with respect to a predetermined data characteristic, the graphical data display comprising:

a plurality of display bands each of the display bands having a spatial arrangement with respect to each other in order to visually provide information regarding the predetermined data characteristic;

wherein at least one display band is a primary display band based upon the predetermined data characteristic; and

a display indicator associated with each display band, said display indicator indicating a value in its associated display band based upon at least one of the source data values, each display band providing a range region within which the associated display indicator may indicate the value;

wherein the display indicator associated with the primary display band is a gauge needle style indicator and wherein the gauge needle style indicator substantially extends through the plurality of display bands.

5. The graphical data display of claim 4 wherein the display indicators associated with bands other than the primary display band are located within their associated display bands.

6. The graphical data display of claim 4 further comprising a display hub, the display hub displaying the value of the display indicator in the primary display band.

7. The graphical data display of claim 4 wherein the source data values comprise business reporting metrics.

8. The graphical data display of claim 4 wherein the source data values comprise network traffic reporting metrics.

9. A graphical data display device for facilitating analysis of a plurality of source data values with respect to a predetermined data characteristic, the graphical data display device comprising:

a storage device for storing a plurality of source data values;

a display device operable to display a plurality of display bands and a display indicator associated with each display band; and

processing means operable to arrange each of the display bands with respect to each other according to a spatial arrangement in order to visually provide information regarding a predetermined data characteristic, said processing means arranging the display indicators so that each display indicator indicates a value in its associated display band based upon at least one of the source data values;

wherein at least one display band is a primary display band based upon the predetermined data characteristic, and each display band provides a range region within which the associated display indicator may indicate the value, and wherein the display indicator associated with the primary display band is a gauge needle style indicator that substantially extends through the plurality of display bands.

10. The graphical data display device of claim 9 wherein the display of the display indicator associated with the primary display band is more prominent than the display of the display indicator associated with another display band.

11. The graphical data display device of claim 9 wherein the display of the primary display band is more prominent than the display of another display band.

12. The graphical data display device of claim 9, wherein the processing means is further operable to obtain additional source data values and further arrange the display indicators so that each display indicator indicates a value in its associated display band based upon at least one of the additional source data values.

13. A graphical data display device for facilitating the graphical analysis of data, the device comprising:

a display device operable to display a plurality of radial display bands and a plurality of display indicators; and

a storage device for storing a plurality of source data values;

wherein the plurality of display indicators corresponds to the plurality of radial display bands, and the graphical data display device is operable to create a graphical representation of a data characteristic of the plurality source data by arranging the plurality of radial display bands in radial disposition and positioning the plurality of display indicators in the corresponding plurality of radial display bands according to the data characteristic of the plurality of source data values, wherein at least one of the display indicators is associated with a first display band and extends radially across one or more other display bands to indicate a value within the first display band.

14. The graphical data display device of claim 13 wherein at least one display band is a primary display band based upon the predetermined data characteristic.

15. The graphical data display device of claim 14 wherein the display of the display indicator associated with the primary display band is more prominent than the display of the display indicator associated with another display band.

16. The graphical data display device of claim 15 wherein the display of the primary display band is more prominent than the display of another display band.

17. A graphical method for displaying and facilitating analysis of a plurality of source data values with respect to a predetermined data characteristic, comprising:

defining a display area;

arranging a plurality of display bands within the display area in a spatial arrangement with respect to each other to visually provide information regarding the predetermined data characteristic;

creating a display indicator in each of the display bands;

associating the display bands and the display indicators in each of the bands with the plurality of source data value to indicate a value in each associated display band;

defining a color gradient; and

color coding the plurality of display bands according to the color gradient to visually emphasize one of the display bands.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

defining range regions display bands; and

color coding each of the range regions within the display bands.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein color coding each of the range regions within the display bands comprises color coding each of the range regions within the display bands to further visually emphasize one of the display bands.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein arranging a plurality of display bands within the display area in a spatial arrangement with respect to each other to visually provide information regarding the predetermined data characteristic comprises arranging the plurality of display bands in radial disposition.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein creating a display indicator in each of the display bands comprises:

associating a gauge needle style indicator with at least one of the display bands; and

extending the gauge needle style indicator through one or more other display bands.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein arranging a plurality of display bands within the display area in a spatial arrangement with respect to each other to visually provide information regarding the predetermined data characteristic comprises:

increasing at least one dimension of one of the display bands with respect to the other display bands as the number of display bands displayed within the display area decreases; and

decreasing the at least one dimension of the one of the display bands with respect to the other display bands as the number of display bands displayed increases.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined data characteristic is a historical characteristic, and wherein color coding the plurality of display bands according to the color gradient to visually emphasize one of the display bands comprises visually emphasizing a most recent historical characteristic.

24. A computer-implemented method for facilitating historical analysis of a plurality of source data values with respect to a historical data characteristic, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of display bands;

generating a display hub;

defining at least one range region in each display band;

positioning the plurality of display bands in radial disposition with respect to each other and the display hub to visually provide information regarding the historical data characteristic;

generating a display indicator in each display band;

determining a value in each display band to be displayed based on a historical characteristic;

indicating each value in each display band with each display indicator, and associating one of the display indicators with the display hub.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the historical characteristic is a chronological characteristic.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the historical characteristic is an averaged characteristic.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein associating one of the display indicators with the display hub comprises:

associating a gauge needle style indicator with one of the display bands; and

extending the gauge needle style indicator from the display hub to the one of the display bands.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising displaying the value indicated by the gauge needle style indicator in the display hub.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein associating one of the display indicators with the display hub comprises:

providing visual indicia to visually distinguish the one of the display indicator, from the other display indicators; and

displaying the value indicated by the one of the display indicators in the display hub.