Intelligent positioning of items in a tree map visualization

• US 7,429,987 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2003
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Leah, Robert, Parzygnat, Kenneth, Uthe, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US10/664,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 345440-441, 345/621
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• 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: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

Displaying data from a data set in a tree map visualization is provided by prioritizing the data in the data set so as to associate a priority with respective elements of the data in the data set. A tree map visualization is generated based on the data set where a location of bounding boxes in the tree map is based on the priority associated with the corresponding element. Tree maps having locations of bounding boxes that are based on a priority associated with the bounding boxes are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of displaying data from a data set in a tree map visualization, comprising:

prioritizing the data in the data set so as to associate a priority with respective elements of the data in the data set, where the associated priorities designate a desired sequence to the respective elements of the data set;

predefining a pattern that reflects a desired display pattern for the associated priority of the elements of the data in the data set;

generating the tree map visualization that positions within a display space, a combination of bounding boxes corresponding to the elements of the data in the data set and void regions where no information is displayed, such that each bounding box in the tree map visualization is arranged in priority order based upon the sequence designated by the priority associated with its corresponding element and the predefined pattern and the void regions fill in the remainder of the display space where no bounding box is present; and

displaying the tree map visualization on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein predefining a pattern comprises defining a priority based pattern.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein defining a priority based pattern comprises defining a pattern with one of ascending or descending priority diagonally from top to bottom of the tree map visualization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the data in the data set comprises defining a priority value associated with a respective element based on a data value of the data element utilized in generating the tree map visualization.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the data in the data set comprises defining a priority value associated with a respective element based on a data value of the data element that is not utilized in generating the tree map.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the data in the data set comprises defining a priority value associated with a respective element based on metadata associated with the data element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the data in the data set comprises assigning a unique priority value to each element in the data set.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the data in the data set comprises dynamically determining a priority value for each element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the data in the data set comprises statically defining a priority value for each element.