Panoptic Visualization Document Differencing

• US 20140089773A1
• Filed: 09/25/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Eames, Patrick J., Hadley, Brent L., Miller, Stephen P., Floyd, Joseph F.
• Granted Patent: US 10,275,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/194 Calculation of difference between files
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A system includes a differencing engine and a layout engine of the differencing engine or coupled to the differencing engine. The differencing engine is configured to direct comparison of two or more document components each of which includes respective media content, and each of which has associated metadata providing information about the respective document component. The layout engine is configured to generate a layout of a panoptically-arranged visual representation of the document components or a comparison thereof according to a layout model, and according to the associated metadata. And the differencing engine is configured to communicate the layout.

Claims

1. A panoptic visualization document differencing system comprising:

a differencing engine configured to direct comparison of two or more document components each of which includes respective media content, and each of which has associated metadata providing information about the respective document component; and

a layout engine of the differencing engine or coupled to the differencing engine, the layout engine being configured to generate a layout of a panoptically-arranged visual representation of the document components or a comparison thereof according to a layout model, and according to the associated metadata,

wherein the differencing engine is configured to communicate the layout.

2. The panoptic visualization document differencing system of claim 1, wherein the differencing engine being configured to direct comparison of two or more document components includes being configured to direct comparison of a first document component and one or more second document components, and

wherein the layout engine being configured to generate the layout includes being configured to generate the layout including the first document component side-by-side with the one or more second document components.

3. The panoptic visualization document differencing system of claim 2, wherein the differencing engine being configured to direct comparison of a first document component and a second document component includes being configured to direct comparison of a plurality of first document components and a plurality of second document components,

wherein the layout engine being configured to generate the layout includes being configured to generate a first layout of the first document components, a second layout of the second document components, and a layout including the first layout side-by-side with the second layout.

4. The panoptic visualization document differencing system of claim 1, wherein the differencing engine being configured to direct comparison of two or more document components includes being configured to direct comparison of a first document component and one or more second document components,

wherein the document differencing engine is further configured to generate a comparison document component from the first document component and one or more second document components, the comparison document component including an overlay of media content of the first document component over media content of the one or more second document components, and

wherein the layout engine being configured to generate the layout includes being configured to generate the layout including the comparison document component.

5. The panoptic visualization document differencing system of claim 4, wherein the differencing engine being configured to direct comparison of a first document component and a second document component includes being configured to direct comparison of a plurality of first document components and a plurality of second document components,

wherein the document differencing engine being configured to generate the comparison includes being configured to generate a plurality of comparisons from the first document components and respective one or more second document components, and

wherein the layout engine being configured to generate the layout includes being configured to generate the layout including the comparison document components.

6. The panoptic visualization document differencing system of claim 1, wherein each of the document components or the comparison thereof is in a state including visual representations at respective resolutions of the respective document component or comparison, and the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the comparison in the layout, and

wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, the layout engine being configured to generate the layout includes being configured to retrieve the document component or comparison for the visual representation at a resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

7. The panoptic visualization document differencing system of claim 6, wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, the visual representations include visual representations at respective resolutions for zoom levels of the document component or comparison, the visual representations being divided across the zoom levels into progressively larger numbers of tiles each of which covers a spatial area of the visual representation at a respective zoom level, and

wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, the layout engine being configured to retrieve the document component or comparison includes being configured to retrieve tiles of the visual representation at the resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

8. A method comprising:

directing comparison of two or more document components each of which includes respective media content, and each of which has associated metadata providing information about the respective document component;

generating a layout of a panoptically-arranged visual representation of the document components or a comparison thereof according to a layout model, and according to the associated metadata; and

communicating the layout.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein directing comparison of two or more document components includes directing comparison of a first document component and one or more second document components, and

wherein generating the layout includes generating the layout including the first document component side-by-side with the one or more second document components.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein directing comparison of a first document component and a second document component includes directing comparison of a plurality of first document components and a plurality of second document components,

wherein generating the layout includes generating a first layout of the first document components, a second layout of the second document components, and a layout including the first layout side-by-side with the second layout.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein directing comparison of two or more document components includes directing comparison of a first document component and one or more second document components,

wherein the method further comprises generating a comparison document component from the first document component and one or more second document components, the comparison document component including an overlay of media content of the first document component over media content of the one or more second document components, and

wherein generating the layout includes generating the layout including the comparison document component.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein directing comparison of a first document component and a second document component includes directing comparison of a plurality of first document components and a plurality of second document components,

wherein generating the comparison includes generating a plurality of comparisons from the first document components and respective one or more second document components, and

wherein generating the layout includes generating the layout including the comparison document components.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the document components or the comparison thereof is in a state including visual representations at respective resolutions of the respective document component or comparison, and the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the comparison in the layout, and

wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, generating the layout includes retrieving the document component or comparison for the visual representation at a resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, the visual representations include visual representations at respective resolutions for zoom levels of the document component or comparison, the visual representations being divided across the zoom levels into progressively larger numbers of tiles each of which covers a spatial area of the visual representation at a respective zoom level, and

wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, retrieving the document component or comparison includes retrieving tiles of the visual representation at the resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by a processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

direct comparison of two or more document components each of which includes respective media content, and each of which has associated metadata providing information about the respective document component;

generate a layout of a panoptically-arranged visual representation of the document components or a comparison thereof according to a layout model, and according to the associated metadata; and

communicate the layout.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the apparatus being caused to direct comparison of two or more document components includes being caused to direct comparison of a first document component and one or more second document components, and

wherein the apparatus being caused to generate the layout includes being caused to generate the layout including the first document component side-by-side with the one or more second document components.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the apparatus being caused to direct comparison of a first document component and a second document component includes being caused to direct comparison of a plurality of first document components and a plurality of second document components,

wherein the apparatus being caused to generate the layout includes being caused to generate a first layout of the first document components, a second layout of the second document components, and a layout including the first layout side-by-side with the second layout.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the apparatus being caused to direct comparison of two or more document components includes being caused to direct comparison of a first document component and one or more second document components,

wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to generate a comparison document component from the first document component and one or more second document components, the comparison document component including an overlay of media content of the first document component over media content of the one or more second document components, and

wherein the apparatus being caused to generate the layout includes being caused to generate the layout including the comparison document component.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the apparatus being caused to direct comparison of a first document component and a second document component includes being caused to direct comparison of a plurality of first document components and a plurality of second document components,

wherein the apparatus being caused to generate the comparison includes being caused to generate a plurality of comparisons from the first document components and respective one or more second document components, and

wherein the apparatus being caused to generate the layout includes being caused to generate the layout including the comparison document components.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each of the document components or the comparison thereof is in a state including visual representations at respective resolutions of the respective document component or comparison, and the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the comparison in the layout, and

wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, the apparatus being caused to generate the layout includes being caused to retrieve the document component or comparison for the visual representation at a resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, the visual representations include visual representations at respective resolutions for zoom levels of the document component or comparison, the visual representations being divided across the zoom levels into progressively larger numbers of tiles each of which covers a spatial area of the visual representation at a respective zoom level, and

wherein for each of the document components or the comparison, the apparatus being caused to retrieve the document component or comparison includes being caused to retrieve tiles of the visual representation at the resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.