Patent ID: 7454439

Claim:
A computer-implemented method executed in a visualization platform that includes a physical display coupled to the visualization platform, a data collector element for collecting real-time data from a network, a visualization interface element, and an aggregation element interposed between the data collector element and the visualization interface element, characterized by: said data collection element includes a schema file that includes an entry for each of a plurality of data record types, each entry specifying a data record format of an ordered set of fixed-length fields, and the collection module is constructed to: receive data records of said types, if the received data record is of a variety A, store the received data record in a storage medium with an association to said corresponding entry of said schema file, wherein the variety A data record is a record with an ordered fixed-length fields format that correspond to the entry of said schema file; if the received data record is of a variety B, convert the received data record to an ordered fixed-length fields format that correspond to an entry of said schema file and store in said storage medium the converted data record with an association to said corresponding entry of said schema file, wherein the variety B data record is a record that does not have an ordered fixed-length fields format that correspond to an entry of said schema file; and said aggregation element includes processing modules that process said records (DDS tool), and processing modules that process aggregates of said records (AGGR tool), and said aggregation element processes streams that contains pluralities of said records in a pipeline manner, and said visualization interface element is constructed to display, on said display, information generated by one or more of said AGGR tool; wherein the aggregation element also includes geometry modules that map data to display objects and coloring of said display objects, wherein the display objects are taken from a set that comprises points, lines, polygons, and triangles, each of said geometry modules having a standard input and a standard output, wherein the standard input is an input that accepts data that is sent to a geometry module, and the standard output is an output that transmits out of said geometry module processing results created by said geometry module.