Animation techniques to visualize data
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsAlan E. Turner, Lucille T. Nowell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention includes displaying a first object and a second object with a computer system. The first object represents data corresponding to a first combination of a number of variables and a second object represents data corresponding to a second combination of the variables. The first object is moved in a first pattern and the second object is moved in a second pattern during this display with the computer system. These patterns include a common characteristic to represent one of the variables common to the first and second combinations and a varying characteristic indicative of variation of the one of the variables.
Claims40
A method, comprising:
- establishing a number of visualization objects for display with a computer system to represent data relative to a number of variables;
- selecting a first animation pattern to represent a first one of the variables and a second animation pattern to represent a second one of the variables;
- and
- animating one or more of the objects with a combination of the first animation pattern and the second animation pattern to visually represent a relationship of the one or more objects to the first one of the variables and the second one of the variables.
A method, comprising:
- displaying several data visualization objects with a computer system to represent data relative to a number of variables;
- animating a group of the data visualization objects during said displaying, the data visualization objects of the group each having a relationship to one of the variables in common and each being animated with a first animation characteristic to visualize membership in the group;
- and
- visualizing variation of the one of the variables by providing a second animation characteristic for each respective object in the group, the second animation characteristic varying in correspondence to a value of the one of the variables for the respective object.
A method, comprising:
- processing data with a computer system;
- displaying a number of objects with the computer system to represent the data relative to a number of variables;
- and
- animating a set of the objects each having a relationship to one of the variables in common by moving each set member along a respective one of a corresponding number of closed loop paths to visualize the set.
A method, comprising:
- establishing a visualization of data with a computer system, the visualization representing the data relative to a number of variables and including a number of data objects each representing a relationship to one of the variables;
- moving each of the objects relative to a respective one of a number of visualization locations;
- and
- providing a number of animated indicators each relating a respective one of the objects to the respective one of the visualization locations.
A system, comprising:
- a processor operable to generate an output to provide a visualization of data, the visualization representing the data relative to a number of data dimensions, the output including a number of animation signals corresponding to a set of objects of the visualization, the objects each having one of the data dimensions in common, the animation signals defining a first animation characteristic and a second animation characteristic;
- and
- a display device responsive to the output to display the visualization with the objects being animated in accordance with the animation signals, the first animation characteristic visualizing the data objects as a group and the second animation characteristic visualizing variation in the one of the data dimensions among the group when the visualization is displayed.
An apparatus, comprising a computer-accessible device carrying logic operable to display a first visual object and a second visual object with a computer system, the first object representing data corresponding to a first combination of a number of data dimensions and the second object representing data corresponding to a second combination of the data dimensions, the logic being further operable to move the first object in a first pattern and the second object in a second pattern while being displayed, the first pattern and the second pattern each including a first animation characteristic to represent one of the data dimensions common to the first combination and the second combination and a second animation characteristic indicative of a varying level of the one of the data dimensions.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a computer-accessible device carrying logic executable with a computer system to display several visualization objects, the visualization objects representing data relative to a number of variables, said logic providing a first animation pattern to represent a first one of the variables and a second animation pattern to represent a second one of the variables and being operable to animate one or more of the visualization objects with a combination of the first animation pattern and the second animation pattern to visually represent a relationship of the one or more objects to the first one of the variables and the second one of the variables.
A computer system, comprising:
- means for processing data;
- means for displaying a visualization of the data relative to a number of variables, the visualization including several visual objects;
- and
- means for selecting a first animation pattern to represent a first one of the variables and a second animation pattern to represent a second one of the variables;
- and
- means for animating one or more of the objects with a combination of the first animation pattern and the second animation pattern to visually represent a relationship of the one or more objects to the first one of the variables and the second one of the variables.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.