Presenting annotations in hierarchical manner

A system, implemented at least in part via a processing unit, for presenting a hierarchical representation of a plurality of recorded annotations, comprising:

• a branch component configured to:
• logically organize a first annotation and a second annotation into a first annotation branch based upon determining that the first annotation and the second annotation were created within a threshold physical distance of one another, the first annotation positioned relative to the second annotation within the first annotation branch based upon a spatial proximity between the first annotation and the second annotation on a display within which the first annotation and the second annotation were created;
• and
• logically organize a third annotation and a fourth annotation into a second annotation branch;
• and
• a presentation component configured to:
• present the first annotation branch and the second annotation branch within a hierarchical representation such that the second annotation branch branches off of the first annotation branch based upon a determination that at least one of:
• the third annotation comments textually on at least one of the first annotation or the second annotation;
• or
• the fourth annotation comments textually on at least one of the first annotation or the second annotation,
• at least one of the first annotation branch or the second annotation branch presented at a particular location within the hierarchical representation based upon predetermined criteria comprising at least one of a spatial density of annotations or a zoom state,
• where responsive to placement of a timeline marker on a first location associated with a first time, at least one of one or more annotations or one or more objects corresponding to the first time are displayed,
• at least one of the first annotation, the second annotation, the third annotation or the fourth annotation comprising at least one of electronic ink, audio, text, or video.

A computer readable medium, excluding signals, comprising instructions that when executed perform a method for presenting a hierarchical representation of a plurality of recorded annotations from an ambient display, the method comprising:

• logically organizing one or more annotations into a first annotation branch, the first annotation branch comprising a first annotation positioned relative to a second annotation within the first annotation branch based upon a spatial proximity between the first annotation and the second annotation on an ambient display upon which the first annotation and the second annotation were created;
• logically organizing a third annotation and a fourth annotation into a second annotation branch;
• and
• presenting the first annotation branch and the second annotation branch within a hierarchical representation comprising a hierarchical timeline such that the second annotation branch branches off of the first annotation branch based upon a determination that at least one of:
• the third annotation comments textually on at least one of the first annotation or the second annotation;
• or
• the fourth annotation comments textually on at least one of the first annotation or the second annotation,
• at least one of the first annotation branch or the second annotation branch presented at a particular location within the hierarchical representation based upon predetermined criteria comprising at least one of a spatial density of annotations or a zoom state,
• where responsive to placement of a timeline marker on a first location associated with a first time, at least one of the one or more annotations or one or more objects corresponding to the first time are displayed,
• at least one of the first annotation, the second annotation, the third annotation or the fourth annotation comprising at least one of electronic ink, audio, text, or video.