Particle based visualizations of abstract information

• US 9,070,227 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Drucker, Steven M., Fernandez, Roland, Fisher, Danyel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Phi
• Application Number:
  US13/784,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 715/234
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

Multivariate data that includes data records may be obtained, each of the data records represented as data values of data attribute variables. A cardinality of the data records is substantially large. A display layout template representing a collectivized visualization of dataset points is obtained, the collectivized visualization logically associated with a set of the data attribute variables, from a perspective of a user viewer. An individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records is determined, based on a portion of the data values associated with each respective data record. The individualized particulate display representation includes a discrete, individually selectable particulate shape and a display location relative to geometric bounds logically associated with the template. Display of the individualized particulate display representations is initiated in accordance with the template.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a device that includes at least one processor, the device including a particle based visualization engine comprising instructions tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium for execution by the at least one processor, the particle based visualization engine including;

a dataset acquisition component configured to obtain a set of multivariate data that includes a first plurality of data records, each of the data records represented as a plurality of data values of data attribute variables, a cardinality of the first plurality of data records being substantially large;

a template acquisition component configured to obtain a first display layout template representing a first collectivized visualization of pluralities of dataset points, the first collectivized visualization logically associated with a first set of the data attribute variables, from a perspective of a user viewer;

a display representation determination component configured to determine a first individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in the first plurality of data records, based on at least a portion of the data values associated with each respective one of the data records in the first plurality of data records, the first individualized particulate display representation including a discrete, individually selectable first particulate shape and a first display location relative to geometric bounds logically associated with the first display layout template;

a display interface component configured to initiate a first display of the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first display layout template; and

an animated transition display interface component configured to initiate an animated first transition display representing an animated transitional view of the first individualized particulate display representations in the first display, temporally transitioning to a second display of second individualized particulate display representations, substantially preserving relative pairwise visual geometric positioning arrangements of pairs of the first individualized particulate display representations in the first display, in transitions to the corresponding second individualized particulate display representations in the second display, based on substantially avoiding visualized crossings of individualized particulate display representations.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a selection display component configured to initiate a display of one or more selectable options to a device user, the selectable options including one or more of;

a data filter of the data attribute variables,

a data filter of values of one or more of the data attribute variables,

a data filter of sources of the multivariate data,

a template indicator indicating a template associated with a layout of a bar chart outline for displayed enclosure of the first individualized particulate display representations,

a template indicator indicating a template associated with a layout of a stacked bar chart outline for displayed enclosure of the first individualized particulate display representations,

a template indicator indicating a template associated with a layout of a geographical map outline for displayed enclosure of the first individualized particulate display representations,

a template indicator indicating a template associated with a histogram layout for display of the first individualized particulate display representations,

a template indicator indicating a template associated with a scatter plot layout for display of the first individualized particulate display representations,

a template indicator indicating a template associated with a layout of a pie chart outline for displayed enclosure of the first individualized particulate display representations,

a template indicator indicating a template associated with a layout of a geometric shape outline for displayed enclosure of the first individualized particulate display representations,

a color selection associated with one or more of the data attribute variables,

a geometric shape selection associated with one or more of the data attribute variables,

a visualization opacity selection associated with one or more of the data attribute variables,

a gamma function indicator indicating selectable skew attributes for association with selected display objects,

a gradient indicator indicating selectable gradient values for association with one or more of the data attribute variables, or

a transition indicator indicating transitional display attributes for the animated first transition display.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a particulate display representation arrangement component configured to determine an ordered display arrangement of the respective particulate shapes associated with respective ones of the data records, based on an arrangement function of one or more of the data attribute variables.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the arrangement function of the one or more of the data attribute variables includes one or more of;

input logic obtained from a device user, or

an arrangement function that is based on a mapping of at least a portion of the data attribute variables represented as points in k-dimensional space, to locations in a display space associated with a display device that is associated with the first display.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the arrangement function of the one or more of the data attribute variables includes an arrangement function that is based on the substantially preserving the relative pairwise arrangements of pairs of the first individualized particulate display representations in the first display, in transitions to the corresponding second individualized particulate display representations in the second display, based on the substantially avoiding visualized crossings of individualized particulate display representations, wherein the relative pairwise arrangements include one or more of;

a relative arrangement of the pairs in a vertical direction in the first display,

a relative arrangement of the pairs in a horizontal direction in the first display,

a relative arrangement of the pairs in a separation distance aspect in the first display, or

a relative arrangement of the pairs in a closeness aspect in the first display.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a selection acquisition component configured to obtain one or more selection indicators from a device user, the one or more selection indicators including one or more of;

a selection of a geometric area that is included in the first display,

a selection of one or more selectable options, in response to a display of the one or more selectable options for selection by the device user,

a selection of a hover display of one of the data records, based on a selection of a hover display of a corresponding one of the first individualized particulate display representations that is displayed in the first display, or

a selection of one of the data records, based on a selection of a corresponding one of the first individualized particulate display representations that is displayed in the first display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the template acquisition component is configured to obtain a second display layout template representing a second collectivized visualization of pluralities of dataset points, the second collectivized visualization logically associated with a second set of the data attribute variables, from the perspective of the user viewer,

the display representation determination component is configured to determine respective second individualized particulate display representations for each of the data records in a second plurality of data records that are included in the set of multivariate data, based on at least a portion of the data values associated with each respective one of the data records in the second plurality of data records, each of the second individualized particulate display representations including a discrete, individually selectable second particulate shape and a second display location relative to geometric bounds logically associated with the second display layout template, and

the display interface component is configured to initiate the second display of the second individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the second display layout template.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

initiating the first display of the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first display layout template includes initiating the first display based on positioning the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first individualized particulate display representations including selectable first individualized particulate display representations that are arranged in accordance with scatter plot arrangements within a bar chart arrangement.

9. A method comprising:

obtaining a set of multivariate data that includes a first plurality of data records, each of the data records represented as a plurality of data values of data attribute variables, a cardinality of the first plurality of data records being substantially large;

obtaining, via a device processor, a first display layout template representing a first collectivized visualization of pluralities of dataset points, the first collectivized visualization logically associated with a first set of the data attribute variables, from a perspective of a user viewer;

determining a first individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in the first plurality of data records, based on at least a portion of the data values associated with each respective one of the data records in the first plurality of data records, the first individualized particulate display representation including a discrete, individually selectable first particulate shape and a first display location relative to geometric bounds logically associated with the first display layout template; and

initiating a first display of the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first display layout template, based on positioning the first individualized particulate display representations that are arranged in accordance with scatter plot arrangements within a bar chart arrangement.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining a list of data filters associated with the set of multivariate data; and

obtaining a selection of one or more of the data filters, wherein;

initiating the first display includes initiating the first display of the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first display layout template, based on the selection of the one or more data filters.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

initiating a display of the list of data filters associated with the set of multivariate data, wherein;

obtaining the selection of one or more of the data filters includes obtaining a selection of one or more of the data filters from a device user, wherein;

the data filters include one or more of;

a data filter of the data attribute variables,

a data filter of values of one or more of the data attribute variables, or

a data filter of sources of the multivariate data.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining a list of template indicators associated with a set of display layout templates; and

obtaining a selection of one or more of the template indicators, wherein;

initiating the first display includes initiating the first display of the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first display layout template, based on the selection of the one or more one or more of the template indicators.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining a second display layout template representing a second collectivized visualization of pluralities of dataset points, the second collectivized visualization logically associated with a second set of the data attribute variables, from the perspective of the user viewer;

determining a second individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in a second plurality of data records that are included in the set of multivariate data, based on at least a portion of the data values associated with each respective one of the data records in the second plurality of data records, the second individualized particulate display representation including a discrete, individually selectable second particulate shape and a second display location relative to geometric bounds logically associated with the second display layout template;

initiating a second display of the second individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the second display layout template; and

initiating an animated first transition display representing an animated transitional view of the first individualized particulate display representations in the first display, temporally transitioning to the second individualized particulate display representations in the second display.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein:

initiating the first display of the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first display layout template includes initiating the first display via graphical processing that is obtained based on a browser interfacing with one or more graphical processing units (GPUs) that are co-located on a user device.

15. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable storage medium and including executable code that causes at least one data processing apparatus to:

obtain a set of multivariate data that includes a first plurality of data records, each of the data records represented as a plurality of data values of data attribute variables, a cardinality of the first plurality of data records being substantially large;

obtain a first display layout template representing a first collectivized visualization of pluralities of dataset points, the first collectivized visualization logically associated with a first set of the data attribute variables, from a perspective of a user viewer;

determine a first individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in the first plurality of data records, based on at least a portion of the data values associated with each respective one of the data records in the first plurality of data records, the first individualized particulate display representation including a discrete, individually selectable first particulate shape and a first display location relative to geometric bounds logically associated with the first display layout template; and

initiate a first display of the first individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the first display layout template, based on positioning the first individualized particulate display representations that are arranged in accordance with scatter plot arrangements within a bar chart arrangement.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

the cardinality of the plurality of data records is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the executable code is configured to cause the at least one data processing apparatus to:

determine one or more display attributes associated with the first individualized particulate display representation, based on one or more of;

a selection of at least one of the display attributes obtained from a user,

a determination at least one of the display attributes based on a function of one or more of the data attribute variables for the respective each data record,

a selection of the respective each data record obtained from a user, or

a selection of the respective each data record based on a change in value of one or more of the data attribute variables for the respective each data record.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the executable code is configured to cause the at least one data processing apparatus to:

obtain a second display layout template representing a second collectivized visualization of pluralities of dataset points, the second collectivized visualization logically associated with a second set of the data attribute variables, from the perspective of the user viewer;

determine a second individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in a second plurality of data records that are included in the set of multivariate data, based on at least a portion of the data values associated with each respective one of the data records in the second plurality of data records, the second individualized particulate display representation including a discrete, individually selectable second particulate shape and a second display location relative to geometric bounds logically associated with the second display layout template;

initiate a second display of the second individualized particulate display representations in accordance with the second display layout template; and

initiate an animated first transition display representing an animated transitional view of the first individualized particulate display representations in the first display, temporally transitioning to the second individualized particulate display representations in the second display.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein:

determining the second individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in the second plurality of data records includes one or more of;

determining the second individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in the second plurality of data records, wherein the second plurality of data records includes the first plurality of data records,

determining the second individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in the second plurality of data records, wherein the first plurality of data records includes the second plurality of data records, or

determining the second individualized particulate display representation for each of the data records in the second plurality of data records, wherein the second plurality of data records is different from the first plurality of data records.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the executable code is configured to cause the at least one data processing apparatus to:

initiate the animated first transition display representing the animated transitional view based on initiating the animated first transition display based on a representation of a plurality of display frames representing substantially continuous transitioning appearance and movement of the first individualized particulate display representations in the first display, temporally transitioning to the second individualized particulate display representations in the second display.