Method and apparatus for navigation within three-dimensional information landscape

A method of displaying data information representative of data to a navigator on a display comprising the steps of:

• displaying a landscape;
• displaying data objects arranged within the landscape, said data objects indicating said data information;
• changing a display view of said landscape as the navigator browses through said data objects within the landscape;
• and
• further comprising the steps of:
• displaying said data objects in a hierarchy of levels;
• accumulating data information at each level of the hierarchy so that said data objects in each level represents a sum of data information in lower levels in the hierarchy;
• and
• normalizing sizes of said data objects displayed at each level of the hierarchy independent of the size of data objects at other levels in the hierarchy.

An apparatus for navigating through data within a display by transforming said data into a three-dimensional information landscape representation of the data, said three-dimensional information landscape comprising objects arranged in a three-dimensional landscape, said objects corresponding to data elements in said data, and said objects having object attributes corresponding to data fields characterizing said data elements, said apparatus for navigating comprising:

• (a) means for defining said data elements and said data fields characterizing said data elements;
• (b) means for defining said object attributes characterizing said objects in said three-dimensional landscape;
• (c) means for creating said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data by transforming data elements of said data into corresponding objects arranged in said three-dimensional landscape, wherein said creating means further includes means for mapping data fields characterizing said data elements into object attributes characterizing said objects such that said object attributes are indicative of information in said data fields;
• (d) means for displaying said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data to extend from a foreground at or near said display to a horizon located beyond the display relative to the viewpoint of a user, wherein said displaying means further includes:
• means for displaying said objects in a hierarchy of levels, each level containing objects having a common data field associated with said respective level during said mapping by said mapping means,
• means for accumulating data information at each level of the hierarchy so that at least one of said object attributes of said objects in each level represents a sum of data information in corresponding objects in lower levels in the hierarchy, and
• means for normalizing sizes of said objects displayed at each level of the hierarchy independent of the size of objects at other levels in the hierarchy;
• and
• (e) means for navigating through said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data.

A display apparatus for displaying data information representative of data to a navigator comprising:

• means for displaying a landscape;
• means for displaying data objects arranged within said landscape, said data objects indicating said data information;
• means for changing a display view of said landscape as the navigator browses through said data objects within the landscape;
• and
• further comprising:
• means for displaying said data objects in a hierarchy of levels;
• means for accumulating data information at each level of the hierarchy so that said data objects in each level represents a sum of data information in lower levels in the hierarchy;
• and
• means for normalizing sizes of said data objects displayed at each level of the hierarchy independent of the size of data objects at other levels in the hierarchy.

A computer-implemented method for navigating through data by transforming said data into a three-dimensional information landscape representation of the data comprising the steps of:

• mapping data fields characterizing data elements in said data into object attributes characterizing objects arranged in a three-dimensional information landscape to create said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data;
• displaying said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data including:
• displaying said objects in a hierarchy of levels, each level containing objects having a common data field associated with said respective level during said mapping,
• accumulating data information at each level of the hierarchy so that at least one of said object attributes of said objects in each level represents a sum of data information in corresponding objects in lower levels in the hierarchy, and
• normalizing sizes of said objects at each level of the hierarchy independent of the size of objects at other levels in the hierarchy;
• and
• navigating through said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data displayed in said displaying step.

A computer system for navigating through data by transforming said data into a three-dimensional information landscape representation of the data comprising:

• means for mapping data fields characterizing data elements in said data into object attributes characterizing objects arranged in a three-dimensional information landscape to create said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data;
• means for displaying said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data, wherein, said displaying means further includes:
• means for displaying said objects in a hierarchy of levels, each level containing objects having a common data field associated with said respective level during said mapping,
• means for accumulating data information at each level of the hierarchy so that at least one of said object attributes of said objects in each level represents a sum of data information in corresponding objects in lower levels in the hierarchy, and
• means for normalizing sizes of said objects at each level of the hierarchy independent of the size of objects at other levels in the hierarchy;
• and
• means for navigating through said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data.

A method for navigating through data within a display by transforming said data into a three-dimensional information landscape representation of the data, said three-dimensional information landscape comprising objects arranged in a three-dimensional landscape, said objects corresponding to data elements in said data, and said objects having object attributes corresponding to data fields characterizing said data elements, said method for navigating comprising the steps of:

• defining said data elements and said data fields characterizing said data elements;
• defining said object attributes characterizing said objects in said three-dimensional landscape;
• creating said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data by transforming data elements of said data into corresponding objects arranged in said three-dimensional landscape, wherein said transforming of said data elements further includes mapping data fields characterizing said data elements into object attributes characterizing said objects such that said object attributes are indicative of information in said data fields;
• displaying said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data to extend from a foreground at or near said display to a horizon located beyond the display relative to the viewpoint of a user, including displaying a plurality of said objects as columns in said three-dimensional landscape and reducing the width of a column when the column or a cell block containing the column is selected during zooming;
• and
• navigating through said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data.

An apparatus for navigating through data within a display by transforming said data into a three-dimensional information landscape representation of the data, said three-dimensional information landscape comprising objects arranged in a three-dimensional landscape, said objects corresponding to data elements in said data, and said objects having object attributes corresponding to data fields characterizing said data elements, said apparatus for navigating comprising:

• means for defining said data elements and said data fields characterizing said data elements;
• means for defining said object attributes characterizing said objects in said three-dimensional landscape;
• means for creating said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data by transforming data elements of said data into corresponding objects arranged in said three-dimensional landscape, wherein said creating means further includes means for mapping data fields characterizing said data elements into object attributes characterizing said objects such that said object attributes are indicative of information in said data fields;
• means for displaying said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data to extend from a foreground at or near said display to a horizon located beyond the display relative to the viewpoint of a user, including displaying a plurality of said objects as columns in said three-dimensional landscape and reducing the width of a column when the column or a cell block containing the column is selected during zooming;
• and
• means for navigating through said three-dimensional information landscape representation of said data.