Transforming visualized data through visual analytics based on interactivity

• US 9,377,864 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tullis, Steve, Albert, Uhl, Gustafson, David, Wilson, Aaron Lamar
• Primary Examiner(s): Drennan, Barry
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRINGLE-PARKER, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US13/887,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20140327608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

A data visualization application transforms visualized data through visual analytics. A detected gesture and associated visualization are processed through a visual analytics engine of the application. The visual analytics engine determines attributes for a new visualization based on the contextual information of the gesture and the visualization. The analytics engine dynamically builds an action based on the attributes. Execution of the action generates the new visualization which is rendered for presentation.

Claims

1. A method executed on a computing device for transforming visualized data through a visual analytics engine based on interactivity, the method comprising:

displaying, through a display device of the computing device, a visualization;

receiving a gesture associated with a portion of the visualization through one of a surface of the display device or a camera attached to the computing device;

processing the gesture and the portion of the visualization to determine attributes for a new visualization, wherein the attributes include a dimensionality, a style, a format, and a type;

generating the new visualization based on the attributes;

determining a contextual information associated with the gesture and the visualization based on prior visualizations, user attributes, a gesture history, and a visualization history;

evaluating the contextual information to determine an action including one of;

a combination, a split, an expansion, a reduction action;

in response to a failure to identify the action,

performing a search on a history of prior actions associated with the contextual information;

determining a suggested action based on the history of the prior actions;

presenting the suggested action as a graphical representation of a potential new visualization; and

detecting a selection of the graphical representation of the potential new visualization to execute the suggested action and generate the new visualization; and

displaying the new visualization through the display device employing the action.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the action based on the contextual information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining attributes of the new visualization based on the contextual information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

integrating the attributes of the new visualization in the action.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

executing the action to generate the new visualization.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

assigning a new data type to underlying data associated with the new visualization based on types of underlying data selected on the visualization.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a default type as one of the attributes based on a type of the attributes associated with the visualization.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

comparing a number of visualization elements of the new visualization to a predetermined visual limit value; and

replacing the default type with another type in response to detecting the number of the visualization elements of the new visualization exceeding the predetermined visual limit value.

9. A computing device for transforming visualized data through a visual analytics engine based on interactivity, the computing device comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing a data visualization application in conjunction with the instructions stored in the memory, wherein the data visualization application is configured to;

display a visualization;

detect a gesture associated with a portion of the visualization;

determine a contextual information associated with the gesture and the portion of the visualization based on prior visualizations, user attributes, a gesture history, and a visualization history;

evaluate the contextual information to determine an action including one of;

a combination, a split, an expansion, a reduction action;

in response to a failure to identify the action,

perform a search on a history of prior actions associated with the contextual information;

determine a suggested action based on the history of the prior actions;

present the suggested action as a graphical representation of a potential new visualization; and

detect a selection of the graphical representation of the potential new visualization to execute the suggested action and generate the new visualization;

execute the action based on the contextual information;

determine attributes of a new visualization based on the contextual information, wherein the attributes include a dimensionality, a style, a format, and a type;

integrate the attributes of the new visualization in the action;

execute the action to generate the new visualization; and

render the new visualization.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the application is further configured to:

detect another gesture on another visualization as concurrent and converging with the gesture; and

evaluate the contextual information to determine a combine action.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the application is further configured to:

detect another gesture as asynchronous with the gesture; and

evaluate the contextual information to determine a combine action.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the application is further configured to:

in response to a detection of another gesture displayed on a second screen, evaluate the contextual information to determine a combine action.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the application is further configured to:

select a default screen as the screen in focus to render the new visualization in an environment including a plurality of screens.

14. A method executed on a computing device for transforming visualized data through a visual analytics engine based on interactivity, the method comprising:

displaying a visualization;

detecting a gesture associated with a portion of the visualization;

determining a contextual information associated with the gesture and a portion of the visualization based on prior visualizations, user attributes, a gesture history, and a visualization history;

evaluating the contextual information to determine an action including one of;

a combination, a split, an expansion, a reduction action;

in response to a failure to identify the action,

performing a search on a history of prior actions associated with the contextual information;

determining a suggested action based on the history of the prior actions;

presenting the suggested action as a graphical representation of a potential new visualization; and

detecting a selection of the graphical representation of the potential new visualization to execute the suggested action and generate the new visualization;

executing, the action based on the contextual information;

determining attributes of a new visualization based on the contextual information, wherein the attributes include a dimensionality, a style, a format, and a type;

integrating the attributes of the new visualization in the action;

executing the action to generate the new visualization;

selecting a default screen as a screen in focus to render the new visualization in an environment including a plurality of screens; and

rendering the new visualization in the default screen to present the new visualization.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying elements on the visualization.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

duplicating the attributes of the visualization while executing the action.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating the new visualization by updating the visualization in response to duplicating the attributes of the visualization in the action.