Technical Report 94-13

TITLE:

VisDB: Database Exploration Using Multidimensional Visualization

DATE:

September 1994

AUTHORS:

Daniel A. Keim

Hans-Peter Kriegel

{keim, kriegel}@informatik.uni-muenchen.de

Institut für Informatik

Universität München

Leopoldstr. 11B

D-80802 München (Germany)

KEYWORDS:

Visualizing Large Data Sets, Visualizing Multidimensional Multivariate Data, Data Exploration and Analysis, Visual Query Support, Interfaces to Database Systems

ABSTRACT:

In this paper we describe the VisDB system, which allows an exploration of large databases using visualization techniques. The goal of the system is to support the query specification process by using each pixel of the display to represent one data item of the database. By arranging and coloring the pixels according to the relevance of the data items with respect to the query, the user gets a visual impression of the resulting data set. Using sliders for each condition of the query, the user may change the query dynamically and receives immediate feedback from the visual representation of the resulting data set. Different visualization techniques are available for different stages of exploration. The first technique uses multiple windows for the different query parts, providing visual feedback for each part of the query and helping the user to understand the overall result. The second technique is an extension of the first one, providing additional information by assigning two dimensions to the axes. The thir d technique uses a grouping of dimensions and is designed to support a focused search on smaller data sets.