Computer method and apparatus for creating visible graphics by using a graph algebra

• US 7,023,453 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPSS Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Leland
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wesner, Sajous
• Application Number:
  US10/114,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20020149604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 345/441, 345/418, 345/419, 345/421, 345/619, 345/643, 345/644, 345721-722, 345468-469, 345586-587, 345424-425, 345/427, 345/606, 345/610, 345/616, 345/440.1, 345673-674
• US Class Current: 345/643
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/03 Data mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering

Abstract

A computer method, apparatus and storage medium is provided for creating quantitative aesthetic graphics from data. The invention utilizes a graph algebra to construct graphs and visually or otherwise represents the graphs as a quantitative aesthetic graphic representation. To create the quantitative aesthetic graphics from data, the data is indexed to form a data set. Thereafter, the data is converted into a variable data structure composed of an index set, a range and a function. The variable data structure is converted into a variable set by using at least one of a blend step, a cross step and a nest step. The variable set is mapped into a set of points and the set of points is mapped into an aesthetic representation.

Claims

1. A method for creating with a computer quantitative aesthetic graphics from data comprising:

indexing the data to form a data set;

converting the data set into a variable data structure, where the variable data structure comprises an index set, a range, and a function;

converting the variable data structure into a variable set by using at least one of a blend step, a cross step, and a nest step;

mapping with a graphing function the variable set into a set of points; and

displaying the mapped set of points as a graphical representation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the variable data structure is categorical.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the variable data structure is continuous.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising relating at least part of the variable set to dimensions of geometric space.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising mapping the geometric space to a coordinate system.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising transforming the geometric set of points to the coordinate system.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating graph elements from the variable set.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said graph elements are selected from the group consisting of algebraic expressions, scaling specifications, element specifications, variable transformation specifications, coordinate specifications and combinations thereof.

9. A data processing system for constructing graphs mathematically from data and aesthetically representing the graphs as graphics comprising:

a computer processor; and

a memory responsively coupled to the computer processor containing a set of computer instructions for;

(a) indexing data to form a data set;

(b) converting the data set into a variable data structure, where the variable data structure has an index set, a range and a function;

(c) converting the variable data structure into a variable set by using at least one of a blend function, a cross function, and a nest function;

(d) mapping with a graphing function the variable set into a set of mathematical points; and

(e) displaying the set of mathematical points as a graphical representation.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of computer instructions further comprises computer instructions for relating the variable set to a geometric space.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the set of computer instructions further comprises computer instructions for mapping the geometric space to a coordinate system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the set of computer instructions further comprises computer instructions for transforming the set of points to the coordinate system.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of computer instructions further comprises computer instructions for generating graph elements from the variable set.

14. A non-volatile storage medium containing computer software encoded in a machine readable format for creating quantitative aesthetic graphics from data comprising:

a. a set of computer instructions for indexing data to form a data set;

b. a set of computer instructions for converting the data set into a variable data structure, where the variable data structure has an index set, a range and a function;

c. a set of computer instructions for converting the variable data structure into a variable set by using at least one of a blend step, a cross step and a nest step;

d. a set of computer instructions for mapping with a graphing function the variable set into a set of points in the form of a coordinate system; and

e. a set of computer instructions for mapping the set of points in the form of the coordinate system into a graphical representation.

15. A method for creating with a computer quantitative aesthetic graphics from at least one data set comprising:

converting the data set into a variable data structure where the variable data structure comprises an index set, a range, and a function;

converting the variable data structure into a variable set using an algebraic operator;

mapping with a graphing function the variable set to form a set of points; and

mapping the set of points in the form of a coordinate system and displaying as a graphical representation the set of points mapped in the form of the coordinate system.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the algebraic operator determines the dimension of the variable set.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the algebraic operator is selected from the group consisting of a blend function, a cross function and a nest function.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the algebraic operator is selected from the group consisting of a blend function, a nest function and a cross function.

19. A data processing device for constructing graphs mathematically from data and aesthetically representing the graphs as graphics comprising:

a database containing data;

a computer processor operatively connected to the database, the computer processor having a set of computer instructions for

(a) algebraically converting the data into a variable set, the variable set having a dimension;

(b) associating a geometric space to the dimension of the variable set;

(c) mapping the variable set into a set of points within said geometric space; and

(d) displaying the mapped points as a graphical representation.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the means for algebraically converting the data comprises an algebraic operator selected from the group consisting of a blend function, a cross function and a nest function.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the algebraic operator determines the dimension of the variable set.

22. The device of claim 19 wherein the set of computer instructions further comprises computer instructions for mapping the geometric space to a coordinate system.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the set of computer instructions further comprises computer instructions for transforming the set of points into the coordinate system.

24. The device of claim 19 wherein said variable set further comprises at least one variable selected from the group consisting of a categorical variable and a continuous variable.

25. A data processing system for constructing graphs mathematically from data and aesthetically representing the graphs as graphics comprising:

a memory device for storing data;

a computer processor coupled to the memory device having

(a) means for indexing the data to form a data set;

(b) means for converting the data set into a variable data structure, where the variable data structure comprises an index set, a range and a function;

(c) means for algebraically converting the variable data structure into a variable set;

(d) means for converting the variable set into a set of points in the form of a coordinate system within a geometric space; and

(e) means for mapping the mapped set of points within a graph frame and for producing a graphical representation.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the set of computer instructions determines the mathematical dimension of the variable set.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the set of computer instructions includes an algebraic operator selected from the group consisting of a blend function, a nest function and a cross function for algebraically converting the variable data structure.

28. A method for creating with a computer quantitative aesthetic graphics from data comprising the steps of:

indexing data to form a data set;

converting the data set into a variable data structure, where the variable data structure comprises an index set, a range, and a function;

converting the variable data structure into a variable set by using at least one of a blend step, a cross step, and a nest step;

producing a primitive graph from the variable set that is a subset of crossing sets; and

transforming the graph into a coordinate system, wherein the functional relationship between the domain and the range of the primitive graph is maintained; and

mapping the set of points into an aesthetic representation.

29. A method for creating with a computer quantitative aesthetic graphics from data comprising the steps of:

indexing the data to form a data set;

converting the data set into a variable data structure, where the variable data structure comprises an index set, a range, and a function;

converting the variable data structure into a variable set by using at least one of a blend step, a cross step, and a nest step;

mapping the variable set into a set of points; and

mapping the set of points into an aesthetic representation, wherein the set of points are mapped to a numeric scale, and wherein said points are represented by attributes selected from the group consisting of position, color, motion, rotation, blur, transparency, texture, and sound.