Iterative visualization of a cohort for weighted high-dimensional categorical data

A visual analytics workflow method comprising:

• identifying selection, via an interactive graphical user interface,of a query data element in an interactive visual representation of high-dimensional categorical data elements comprising a plurality of categorical components;
• generating a binary distance matrix with columns representing the plurality of categorical components, and entries in a row indicative of a degree of similarity of respective categorical components of the selected query data element to a data element represented by the row;
• determining a category weighting matrix by associating a weight with entries in each column of the binary distance matrix;
• evaluating a weighted similarity score for a data element represented by a row of the category weighting matrix based on entries of the row;
• selecting, based on weighted similarity scores, a cohort of categorical data elements for the query data element;
• and
• interactively and iteratively validating the cohort of categorical data elements, the validation including receiving, from a user via the interactive graphical user interface, an indication to modify the cohort based on the weighted similarity scores.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

• identify real-time selection, via an interactive graphical user interface, of a query data element in an interactive visual representation of high-dimensional categorical data elements comprising a plurality of categorical components;
• generate a binary distance matrix with columns representing the plurality of categorical components, and entries in a row indicative of a degree of similarity of respective categorical components of the selected query data element to a data element represented by the row;
• determine a category weighting matrix by associating a weight with entries in each column of the binary distance matrix;
• evaluate a weighted similarity score for a data element represented by a row of the category weighting matrix based on entries of the row;
• iteratively and interactively select, based on weighted similarity scores, a cohort of categorical data elements for the query data element;
• and
• provide the cohort of catagorical data elements via the interactive graphical user interface.