Abstract: A geospatial platform for building applications involving location and time is disclosed. The applications allow users to analyze and make sense of the location and time-based data generated by a wide variety of devices in real time, as it is generated. The platform in one example features a dashboard for associating code statements with a variety of data visualizations. The code statements access real-time and/or location based data and generate a result set that is optimized for displaying a selected data visualization in the dashboard. The code statements are ideally executed on a server so that large quantities of data can be manipulated as it is generated by various devices in real-time.

Abstract: An apparatus in one example has: a controller having a data connector for inputting temporal data, and an item collection for providing timelines and overlays, and for providing linked visualizations of the temporal data in a timeline to other visualizations of the temporal data; and a display for displaying the timeline and overlays, and the linked visualizations. The method may have the steps of: obtaining temporal data; displaying the temporal data in at least one timeline in a web browser and in at least one other visualization in the web browser; and linking the displayed data in the at least one timeline with the displayed data in the at least one other visualization.

Abstract: An apparatus in one example has an analytical environment for mashup data having visual analysis metaphors, and linking and correlation functionality among the visual analysis metaphors. A system may have: at least one store having a predetermined floor plan layout; at least one predetermined location on the predetermined floor plan layout for displaying at least one product; analytical environment for mashup data having visual analysis metaphors, the mashup data formed from data indiciative of the predetermined floor plan layout, and data indicated of sales of the at least one product; and linking and correlation functionality among the visual analysis metaphors through a web browser. In one example, a plurality of products may be positioned on a plurality of shelves, and may be depicted in a geographical display. Sales of each product may be depicted in a in time line display that is linked to the geographical display.

Abstract: A geospatial platform for building applications involving location and time is disclosed. The applications allow users to analyze and make sense of the location and time-based data generated by a wide variety of devices in real time, as it is generated. The platform in one example features a dashboard for associating code statements with a variety of data visualizations. The code statements access real-time and/or location based data and generate a result set that is optimized for displaying a selected data visualization in the dashboard. The code statements are ideally executed on a server so that large quantities of data can be manipulated as it is generated by various devices in real-time.

Abstract: An apparatus in one example has: at least one of an identification tag and a video feed associated with at least one asset; at least one real time location server that operatively interfaces with the at least one of the identification tag and the video feed; and real-time data analysis and tracking system that ingests asset location data for at least one asset from at least one real time location server. The real time data analysis and tracking system may have a real-time alerting rules engine. Assets being tracked may be organized into at least categories and groups, the categories may be used to manipulate visibility of sets of assets in a portal, and the groups may be used by the real-time alerting rules engine.

Abstract: An apparatus in one example has an analytical environment for mashup data having visual analysis metaphors, and linking and correlation functionality among the visual analysis metaphors. A system may have: at least one store having a predetermined floor plan layout; at least one predetermined location on the predetermined floor plan layout for displaying at least one product; analytical environment for mashup data having visual analysis metaphors, the mashup data formed from data indiciative of the predetermined floor plan layout, and data indicated of sales of the at least one product; and linking and correlation functionality among the visual analysis metaphors through a web browser. In one example, a plurality of products may be positioned on a plurality of shelves, and may be depicted in a geographical display. Sales of each product may be depicted in a in time line display that is linked to the geographical display.

Abstract: A multi-dimensional glyph for visually presenting data relating to a project comprises a plurality of component objects representing different data items, each component object having a color-coded attribute relating to the data item presented and having an attribute for encoding data item changes over time. A system for generating each glyph includes a device for representing various data items extracted from a database as display objects, and a device for arranging the display objects as a visually recognizable glyph for presenting the data items simultaneously on a graphics display, the objects of the glyph being color coded to define a type of data and having attributes for presenting changes of the data item over time. The system is interactive enabling manipulation of the glyph on the display for visualizing a developmental state of a data item at a prior point in time.

Abstract: A network interface includes a network view portion developed using a low-level, high-performance programming language such as C++, and a user interface portion developed using a higher level scripted programming language such as Tcl/Tk. Variables in the C++ network view portion are linked to corresponding variables in the Tcl/Tk user interface portion. The network view and user interface portions are developed in accordance with a general framework, which in an illustrative embodiment includes: (1) a set of network structures stored in a database; (2) a C++ component including a network base class to generate functions common to multiple views, and a display class derived from the network base class to generate operations specific to a particular view; and (3) a Tcl/Tk component including a standard user interface corresponding to the network base class associated with a given view, and a special interface corresponding to the display class derived from that network base class.

Abstract: Apparatus for visualizing slices of transitive closures of entities having dependence relationships with one another. A preferred embodiment visualizes slices of programs. A display in a computer system includes reduced representations of the files, procedures, and lines making up a program. The user employs a pointing device to interactively select a reduced representation as the slice point and the apparatus computes the slice and changes the color of the reduced representations in the slice. The color of the reduced representation indicates the distance of the entity represented by the reduced representation from the slice point. The display may be rearranged so that files and procedures are ordered by distance from the slice point.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for presenting a viewer with an overall representation of the present number of entertainment programs available for selection given one week of program schedule data for 300 or more channels and one or more filtering criteria to limit the number of items represented in the overall representation. Sequentially applied filters will filter the group of program schedule data items that has at least 100,000 half hour time slots offered by 300 channels each week into a smaller subgroup where individual consideration of each item of the subgroup can be made in a reasonable time. A set top box drives the display of overall representations or results of filtering criteria on a commercial TV set. Once a reasonable sized subgroup is obtained, other displays provide specific information of the program offerings of the subgroup.

Abstract: A system that has a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows a user to readily define and manipulate a transform function from one attribute, such as numerical value, to another attribute that is more understandable by by the user such as color, size or location. Special two thumb slider controls provide the transform functions. The two thumbs define break points for piecewise linear transform ranges. Further, the center transform range can be manipulated as a unit to show the user what happens if the range is maintained essentially constant but the break points are varied. The aid to visualizing characteristics otherwise hidden in large data sets, such as a monthly telephone bill of a large corporation, is very beneficial.

Abstract: A technique for interactively analyzing system log-files. System log-files, which are monitored by technical personnel and systems specialists to determine system performance, status, and software faults, are often generated during various hardware and software monitoring operations. Each log-file contains time stamped reports. This technique is especially useful for analyzing large log-files. A new release of software may contain many incremental versions that must be tested. The testing of each incremental version may generate a log-file containing thousands of reports. Using this technique, reports are correlated, faults are isolated, and temporal patterns are recognized more quickly and efficiently than by using conventional, non-graphical techniques.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing displays in which the locations of nodes of a graph relative to each other are a function of the significance of a relationship between the nodes. The technique used to locate the nodes produces groups of nodes with significant relationships to each other which are set visually apart from the other nodes. The relationships between the nodes are defined by using a statistic to give weights to links between the nodes. Statistics may also be used to determine the size, shape, and color of the nodes and the color and width of the links. The display may also include histograms which show the numbers of links or nodes which have given values of the statistics and which relate the colors in which the nodes and links are displayed to values of the statistics. The histograms may further be used to interactively define masks for links and nodes, and masked links and nodes are not taken into account in making the display.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for presenting a viewer with an overall representation of the present number of entertainment programs available for selection given one week of program schedule data for 300 or more channels and one or more filtering criteria to limit the number of items represented in the overall representation. Sequentially applied filters will filter the group of program schedule data items that has at least 100,000 half hour time slots offered by 300 channels each week into a smaller subgroup where individual consideration of each item of the subgroup can be made in a reasonable time. A set top box drives the display of overall representations or results of filtering criteria on a commercial TV set. Once a reasonable sized subgroup is obtained, other displays provide specific information of the program offerings of the subgroup.

Abstract: Apparatus for visualizing slices of transitive closures of entities having dependence relationships with one another. A preferred embodiment visualizes slices of programs. A display in a computer system includes reduced representations of the files, procedures, and lines making up a program. The user employs a pointing device to interactively select a reduced representation as the slice point and the apparatus computes the slice and changes the color of the reduced representations in the slice. The color of the reduced representation indicates the distance of the entity represented by the reduced representation from the slice point. The display may be rearranged so that files and procedures are ordered by distance from the slice point.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the three dimensional graphical display of information. Information is displayed as nodes and arcs connecting nodes. The nodes and arcs are displayed with their three dimensional characteristics used to encode data attributes. In one embodiment, the nodes and arcs represent geographic network data and are displayed on a representation of a globe. The height of the arcs above or below the surface of the globe encodes a link attribute of the data, while the height of the nodes above or below the surface of the globe encodes a node attribute of the data. Three dimensional characteristics of the nodes and arcs other than height may also be used to encode data attributes. In addition, the three dimensional representation of the data allows for novel thresholding techniques, such as drawing certain nodes and arcs below the surface of the globe and using the globe as a clipping surface.

Abstract: Data selectors for selecting values which affect display of data. The data selector represents a set of values, and selection is done by interactively "painting" a portion of the data selector. The values which correspond to the painted portion are activated. Species of the data selectors include discrete data selectors, continuous dam selectors, and multidimensional dam selectors. An exemplary discrete data selector is employed in apparatus for displaying information about a very large number of entities. The apparatus includes very small entity representations representing entities such as lines of text contained in columns representing a context such as the files which contain the lines. The discrete data selector represents the values of an attribute of the entities. Painting the discrete data selector activates the entity representations having the corresponding values. A code viewer permits detailed views of information about the entity represented by a selected entity representation.

Abstract: Apparatus for displaying information about a very large number of entities. The apparatus includes very small entity representations which represent the entities. The entity representations are contained in columns which represent contexts for the entities. In one embodiment of the apparatus, the entities are lines of text and the contexts are files containing the lines. Also included is a selector with a set of colored fields corresponding to values of attributes of the entities. When either an entity representation or a selector field is activated by means of a pointing device, the selector field and all of the entity representations for entities having the attribute value corresponding to the selector field are turned on and appear in the same color. The pointing device may also be used to specify an entity representation for detailed viewing. In response to this operation, a code viewer opens which displays detailed information about the entity corresponding to the specified entity representation.