DATA VISUALIZATION

Abstract: A method of visually displaying data characteristic for a plurality of entities. The method includes generating one or more images from collected data. The one or more images represent each entity by a character located along a preselected direction in a field. The locations of the characters along the direction are representative of the value of the characteristic of the associated entity at a collection time associated with the data.

Description: DATA VISUALIZATION BACKGROUND This invention relates to visual display 5 techniques . Real-time monitoring can collect data for characterizing a system. The collected data can identify system trends and limit values of parameters characterizing the system's behavior Identifying such 10 limit values usually involves comparing data collected over different monitoring periods. Since real-time monitoring collects large amounts of data, the amount of collected data can make such comparisons inconvenient or complex . 15 SUMMARY In a first aspect, the invention features a method of visually displaying a data characteristic for a plurality of entities. The method includes generating 2v one or more images from collected data. The one or more images represent each entity by a character located along a preselected direction m a field. The locations of the characters along the preselected direction are representative of the value of the characteristic of the -^ associated entity at a collection time associated with the data. In a second aspect, the invention features a system for displaying a data characteristic for a plurality of entities in a video format. The system includes a storage device, a screen, a processor and a memory device. The memory device is configured to store a value of the data characteristic for each of the entities at a plurality of times. The memory device encodes an executable process to read the values in the storage device. The processor executes the process to produce a temporal sequence of images on the screen from the read values. The temporal sequence of images represents each entity by a moving character whose longitudinal location is representative of the value of the data characteristic for the associated entity. In a third aspect, the invention features a computer program product that implements the above- described method. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a computer system programmed to visually display collected data for a human viewer; FIG. 2A illustrates a display produced by one embodiment of the computer system of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 2B illustrates a display produced by another embodiment of the computer system of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 2C illustrates a display produced by another embodiment of the computer system of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process of using the computer system of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, 2B, and/or 2C; and FIG. 4 illustrates a display produced by the computer system of FIG. 1 to visualize stock indexes. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Various embodiments include processes for visualizing time-dependent data associated with different entities. If the data has been collected over a large temporal sequence of sample times, the data may be too numerous for simple characterization by human analysts. The processes present the data in a visual format that can aid human viewers to discern relationships between the entities, trends, and limit values directly. The various embodiments reformat the collected data in a visual format as a temporal sequence of images, e.g. a video presentation. In this format, each entity is visually represented a character, such as a living object or actor, and changes to the data associated with the entity is represented by movements of the character. The characters for the various entities move m a field that aids a viewer to quantify changes m the data associated with each entity. The movements played out by the characters present time dependencies in a form that aids many humans to discern changes to the data and relationships between the entities. 5 Referring to FIG. 1, the process for visualizing data operates on a computer system 10. The computer system 10 has a software program stored in a hard drive 12 or other memory storage device, e.g., a magnetic ox optical disk 14. The software program may be executed by 10 a processor 16 from an active memory 18 or a drive 20. The process provides functions for changing the temporal sample of the data displayed. These functions include frame-by-frame advance, frame-by-frame reverse, play, fast play forward, fast play backwards, and stop. 15 Some embodiments enable the viewer to select among these functions by using a mouse interface 22 to click or drag objects on screen 24. To activate a function, the viewer clicks on a display screen 24 using the mouse 22. In response to clicking on the screen 24, tne computer 20 system 10 displays a menu on the screen 24. From the menu, the viewer can select the desired function using the mouse 22. In other embodiments, a viewer uses touch-screen technology to activate the functions activated in the ^ ■ - above-described embodiments above through the mouse 22. The computer system 10 provides a visualization of the temporal dynamics of a selected type of data by the position of moving characters m an image fielα. The field has a longitudinal axis that represents the value of the data associated with each character. The different characters are spread along an axis perpendicular to the first axis. FIGs . 2A-2C illustrate embodiments that provide visualizations of activities of market participants, e.g., participants in a stock market. The visualized data consists of quote or trade prices of individual market participants. The market participants may be traders, market makers, or electronic communications networks. The invention is not however, limited to a particular data type or entities illustrated in the examples of FIGs. 2A-2C. Referring to FIG. 2A, a display screen 30 visually represents quote prices of market participants, e.g., market makers or traders, of a selected stock. The market participants are represented as football players 32-41 located on an American football field 42. Yard- line markings 43 of the football field 42 are prices. The quote price of a market participant is represented by the "yard-line" position of the associated player 32-41 on the playing field 42. The field 42 provides a visualization of data for both asks and bids of market participants. Each participant has one player representing the participant's ask and another player representing the participant's bid. Bid prices are represented by positions of the players 32-36 in a left portion of the field 42, i.e., to the left of the mside-bid 44. Ask prices are represented by positions of the players 37-41 m a right portion of the field 42, i.e., to the right of the mside-ask 46. The screen 30 displays several reference prices 44-46. The first references are the inside-bid and ask prices 44, 46 that provide respective maximum bids and minimum ask. For quotes, the inside ask; is greater than the mside-bid. Thus, the msides separate the field 42 into disjoint regions for asks and bids, respectively. The second type of reference is the previous day's closing (PDC) price. The PDC price provides a reference for comparing the present market to the previous day's market . The computer system 10 of FIG. 1 may visually identify different market participants in several ways. For example, each player 32-41 carries a tag 44-53 naming the associated market participant. The tag may be the participant's firm name, logo, market participant identifier (MPID) , or trademark. The viewer may display the tags 44-53 or remove the tags 44-53 altogether. The tags 44-53 aid a viewer to follow changes m the bids and asks of selected market participants m time. Colors or patterns can also distinguish types of players 32-41. The patterns may be checkered and striped. The players 32-36 and 49-53 on the bid and the ask sides may carry different colors or patterns. Similarly, market participants 32-35, 49-50, 52-53 and electronic communication networks (ECNs) 36, 51 may have different colors or patterns. The different colors or patterns aid a viewer to follow changes in the bids and asKs m time. In some embodiments, the viewer can display additional data for individual players 32-41. To display the additional data, the viewer clicks on or drags over a selected player 32-41 thereby causing a pop-up box to appear (not shown) . The pop-up box may contain data such as the player's name or MPID, the player's quote and the number of share available at the quote price. In some embodiments, the number of shares m a player's quote is visually represented by the size of the player, e.g., by the player's height or width. To change the time of the displayed data, a viewer may click on a time bar 53 with a pointer controlled by the mouse 22. Clicking to the right of the present time arrow 54 makes the display evolve forward in time. Clicking to the left of the present time arrow 54 makes the display evolve backwards m time. In some embodiments, the viewer can change the time and/or date by entering a specific time of day and/or date using a keyboard. In some embodiments, the display 42c of FIG. 2A is also augmented with audio warning signals to alert the viewer of special market conditions. For example, a iouzzer signal may sound m response to a locked or crossed market condition. Locked or crossed conditions occur when a bid price is greater than or equal to an ask price . The computer system 10 of FIG. 1 provides a viewer with a selection of views for displaying data. Another view displays the American football field 42 m a 3- dimensional image as seen from a sideline (not shown) . FIG. 2B shows another format available to viewers for displaying bids and asks. In American football field 60, players 61-70 are laterally ordered according the distance between the associated market participants' bids/asks and the inside bid/ask. The players 65, 70 are associated with the market participants whose bids and asks are closest to the inside bid and ask and are located on the bottom of the field 60. The display 60 also includes blocks 72, 73 that list the size of the selected quotes. The blocks 72, 73 list both prices and offered amounts of the inside bid and ask 74, 75 and the two bids and asks closest to the inside. In other embodiments, tne blocks 72, 73 also list the number of market participant whose bids and asks are at these three values (not shown) . Other embodiments may visually indicate of the size of each quote by the height of the associated player, i.e., player heights being proportional to offered amounts. - FIG. 2C shows another display format that enables the viewer to represent one market participant by special players 90, 92. The special players 90, 92 are visually set off from the other players 61-70 by a horizontal dotted line 94 and by positioning the players 90, 92 0 adjacent one edge of the football field 92. Setting off the special players 90, 92 facilitates comparisons between the ask and bid of the selected market participant and other market participants . Another embodiment facilitates comparisons with a 5 selected market participant by displaying both the bid and ask of the selected participant in the same horizontal slice of the football field 92 (not shown) . Other visualizations use different characters and fields to represent data. One visualization of market quote prices represents market participants by fish and the selected range of quote prices by a section of a riverbed. The quote prices are represented by the longitudinal position of the associated fish along the riverbed . - Other embodiments visualize other types of time- dependant data. In one embodiment, the data visualized is the number of sick persons m a treatment group. Various groups receive different types of treatments, which can be compared through the visualization. Each group has an associated character whose longitudinal position on a football field represents the number of members of the group that are sick at the time displayed. In a second embodiment, the data visualized are price changes of a basket of stocks, e.g., of the period of a day. Each stock is represented by a player whose longitudinal position on a football field represents the dollar change of the price of the associated stock from the closing price of the previous day. Other embodiments may be used to visualize other types of time-dependent data . FIG. 3 shows a process 100 that displays prices that market makers quote for a stock as a temporal sequence of images, e.g., a video format, is shown. The quote prices may be collected for a number of sample times and stored on a storage medium for display at a later time, i.e., an offline display, or may be displayed as collected, i.e., a real-time display. The process 100 may allow a viewer to advance the temporal sequence of images m either and image-by-image or continuous play mode . To start displaying the sequence of images, a viewer sets 102 a measuring scale and selects 104 a sample time range to be displayed. The measuring scale defines the fineness with which quote prices will be shown. Different scales may be used, e.g., nearest 1/16, 1/10, or 1/8 of a dollar. The selected time range specifies sample times for the data. The range may be closed or open as defined by a start time. In other embodiments that display other types of time-dependent data, the measuring scale may have different units. In an embodiment for visualizing activity rates of living subjects, heart rates in beats per minute may be the measuring unit. In an embodiment for visualizing weight histories of living subjects, weights in pounds may be the measuring unit. In each case, a viewer may be able to change the overall scale of the measuring unit. The computer system 10 reads 106 the quote prices from a data file that were collected at a first time m the selected time range. The computer system 10 generates 108 an image of a visualization of the read data for the first time. In the image, each market maker is represented by a player located on an American football field. The yard-line location of each player is determined by the quote price of the associated market maker. The lateral position of each player is either assigned for all sample times or fixeα by the value the player's quote price. The quote price fixes the players' lateral positions m displays that longitudinally order the players according to tne distance of the associated quotes from the inside quotes as shown in FIGs. 2B and 2C. Next, the computer system 10 or viewer loops back 110 to select the another sample time for the collected quote price data. For example, the computer system 10 can select the next time at which data has been collected. Then, the reading 106 of quote prices and generating 108 of a new image are repeated for the quote data at the newly selected time. The newly generated image repositions the same players on the football field to represent new values of the quote prices at the new The process repeats to produce more images that visualize the data at other times within the selected time range. In the images, the players, e.g., the players 61-70 of FIG. 2B, move up and down the football field to follow changes in quote prices with time. At each time, the yard-line position of each player represents the ask or bid quote price of the associated market maker. In other embodiments, an Internet web page generates video visualizations of collected data. A remote computer runs a process that displays the web page. To produce a visualization of the data as a temporal sequence of images, a viewer remotely connects his computer to the web page and activates the visualization using control buttons on the web page. The user can remotely control the speed and direction of the temporal sequence of images, e.g., the view can advance the images one-frame-at-a-time using the control outtons on the web page. The viewer can also select tne time range for the data using the control buttons. Referring to FIG. 4, a display 110 providing a visualization of stock indexes is shown. The display 110 may be produced by the computer system 10 of FIG. 1 and may be a web page display. Other embodiments of the display 110 may provide a visual display for other quantities, e.g., stock share turnovers. The display 110 includes with a flagpole 112 having multiple flags 114-116. Each flag represents a component stock of the stock index. The height of each flag 114-116 represents the price of the associated stock. The amount of waving performed by each flag 114- 116 represents the volatility of the associated stock during a preselected period. The display 110 has a different flagpole 112, 118 for each index being visualized. In other embodiments, the display may provide a visualization of a biological process in which a biological characteristic is visualized through positions of players on a football field. For example, the characteristic may be the number of flu infections m various major cities of a country, i.e., each city being represented by a separate player. Such a representation provides a visualization of a time-dependent biological process . In the detailed description, the invention has been described by various embodiments. These embodiments are intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the claims. WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

Claims: 1. A method of visually displaying a data characteristic for a plurality of entities, comprising: generating one or more images from collected data, the one or more images representing each entity py a character located along a preselected direction m a field, locations of the characters along the direction being representative of the value of the characteristic of the associated entity at a collection time associated with the data. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating at least one image produces a temporal sequence of images n which the characters ' locations along the preselected direction are responsive to the values of the associated characteristics . 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the temporal sequence of images forms a video presentation. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the characteristic is one of a price and a number of members of a group with a selected property. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the entities are one of market participants and the groups. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the prices are one of bids and asks. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the characteristics include bid prices and ask prices. 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the character for the bid price and the character for the ask price of the each entity are located at the same distance from an edge of the field. 9. The method of claim 5, further comprising: displaying an indicator of an inside price on the video . 10. The method of claim 2, wherein the sample time range includes times later than a selected start 11. The method of claim 2, wherein the video orders the characters from one edge of the field according to one of increasing value and deceasing value of the characteristic. 12. The method of claim 2, wherein the height of eacn cnaracter represents a second data characteristic of the associated entity. 13. The method of claim 2, wherein the field represents a three dimensional scene. 14. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of generating includes advancing the video m a frame-by- frame fashion. 15. The method of claim 2, further comprising: 0 transmitting the video over a network; and wherein the video is generated in a web format displayable by a receiving computer. 16. The method of claim 4, further comprising: 5 producing an audio signal in response to one of the generated images displaying a preselected relationship between the characteristics associated with two of the entities. 0 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the preselected relationship is a locked or crossed market condition . 18. A system for displaying a data characteristic ^ for a plurality of entities in a video format, comprising : a storage device configured to store a value of the data characteristic for each of the entities at a plurality of times; a processor; and 5 a memory device encoding an executable process to read the values in the storage device, the processor to produce a video on a screen from the read values py executing the process, the video representing each entity by a moving character whose longitudinal location is 0 representative of the value of the data characteristic for the associated entity. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the storage device stores prices associated with market participants. 5 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the storage device stores biological data associated with a set of entities . 0 21. The system of claim 18, wherein the storage device stores data on individual stocks of a stock index. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the longitudinal location of a character is a location along ^ a pole. 23. A computer program product for visually displaying a data characteristic of a plurality of entities comprises instructions for causing a computer to: generate an image from collected data, the image representing each entity by a character located along a preselected direction in a field, locations of the characters along the direction being representative of the value of the characteristic of the associated entity at an associated sample time. 24. The product of claim 23, wherein the characteristic is one of a trade price and a quote price. 25. The product of claim 24, wherein the entities are participants in a market. 26. The product of claim 25, wherein the prices include one of bids and asks. 27. The product of claim 25, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to: display an indication of an inside price at each time on the video. 28. The product of claim 23, wherein the video orders the characters from one edge of tne field m order of one of increasing and decreasing value of the characteristic. 29. The product of claim 23, wherein the height of each character represents a second data characteristic of the associated entity. 30. The product of claim 23, wherein the instructions for generating are able to cause the computer to advance the video in a frame-by-frame fashion . 31. The product of claim 23, the instructions further causing the computer to: transmit the video over a network; and wherein the video is generated in a web format displayable by a receiving computer.

Inventors: BERKELEY ALFRED R III, CHELIUS GENEVIEVE A, DANIEL PHUNG T, KIM GINA S, BERKELEY, ALFRED, R., III, CHELIUS, GENEVIEVE, A., DANIEL, PHUNG, T., KIM, GINA, S.
Applicants: BERKELEY ALFRED R III, CHELIUS GENEVIEVE A, DANIEL PHUNG T, KIM GINA S, NASDAQ STOCK MARKET INC, BERKELEY, ALFRED, R., III, CHELIUS, GENEVIEVE, A., DANIEL, PHUNG, T., KIM, GINA, S., THE NASDAQ STOCK MARKET, INC.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: G06F17
IPC codes: G06Q40, G09G1