Data processing, analysis, and visualization system for use with disparate data types

Abstract

A system or method consistent with an embodiment of the present invention is useful in analyzing large volumes of different types of data, such as textual data, numeric data, categorical data, or sequential string data, for use in identifying relationships among the data types or different operations that have been performed on the data. A system or method consistent with the present invention determines and displays the relative content and context of related information and is operative to aid in identifying relationships among disparate data types. Various data types, such as numerical data, protein and DNA sequence data, categorical information, and textual information, such as annotations associated with the numerical data or research papers may be correlated for visual analysis. A variety of user-selectable views may be correlated for user interaction to identify relationships that exist among the different types of data or various operations performed on the data. Furthermore, the user may explore the information contained in sets of records and their associated attributes through the use of interactive 2-D line charts and interactive summary miniplots.

1 . A method of interactively displaying records and their corresponding attributes, comprising: 
 generating a first 2-D chart for a first record, wherein at least two attributes associated with the first record are shown along one axis, and wherein the values of the attributes are shown along the other axis;    receiving input from a user selecting the first record on the first 2-D chart;    analyzing an index to determine if the first record is shown in another view; and    if the first record is shown in another view, altering the visual representation of the first record in the another view based on the user input.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first 2-D chart is a line chart.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first 2-D chart is a scatter chart.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user can select the scale of the axes.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the another view comprises a galaxy view of groups of records.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating a second 2-D chart for a second record, wherein at least two attributes associated with the second record are shown along one axis, and wherein the values of the attributes are shown along the other axis.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the first 2-D chart is shown in a first color and the second 2-D chart is shown in a second color.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the second 2-D chart is superimposed upon the first 2-D chart.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising: 
 displaying text-based descriptions of the first and second records;    receiving input from the user selecting a text-based description; and    highlighting the 2-D chart of the record corresponding to the selected description.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising: 
 displaying text-based descriptions of each attribute shown in the first and second 2-D charts;    receiving input from the user selecting a text-based description; and    highlighting the attributes and values in the 2-D chart that correspond to the description.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising generating a third 2-D chart, wherein at least two attributes associated with the first and second records are shown along one axis, and wherein statistical values of the attributes are shown along the other axis.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the statistical values comprise average values.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the statistical values comprise median values.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a text-based identification of the record selected by the user.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 receiving input from a user pointing to a portion of the 2-D chart; and    displaying a text-based identification of the attribute and value corresponding to the pointed portion.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving input from a user selecting a record in another view;    analyzing an index to determine if the record is shown in the 2-D line chart; and    if the record is shown in the 2-D line chart, altering the visual representation of the record in the 2-D line chart.    
     
     
         17 . A method of interactively displaying records and their corresponding attributes, comprising: 
 selecting a record and its associated attributes, wherein the associated attributes are any combination of numeric, categoric, sequence, and text information; converting the associated attributes into numeric values; and    generating a 2-D chart for the record, wherein at least two attributes associated with the record are shown along one axis, and wherein the values of the attributes are shown along the other axis.    
     
     
         18 . A method of interactively displaying records and their corresponding attributes, comprising: 
 generating a 2-D scatter chart that depicts a plurality of records;    generating a 2-D line chart for a group of records contained in a portion of the 2-D scatter chart, wherein at least two attributes associated with the group of records are shown along one axis, and wherein a statistical value for each of the at least two attributes is shown along the other axis; and    superimposing the 2-D line chart at a location on the 2-D scatter chart that is based on the location of the group of records on the 2-D scatter chart.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the statistical value is an average value.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the statistical value is a median value.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the portion is a quadrant.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the portion is a cluster.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising selecting a color for the 2-D line chart based on user-defined criteria.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising selecting a size for the 2-D line chart based on user-defined criteria.  
     
     
         25 . A method of interactively displaying records and their corresponding attributes, comprising: 
 selecting a set of records and their associated attributes, wherein the associated attributes are any combination of numeric, categoric, sequence, and text information;    converting the associated attributes into numeric values;    generating a first chart that depicts the set of records;    generating a second chart for a subset of records depicted in the first chart, wherein at least two attributes associated with the subset of records are shown along one axis, and wherein a statistical value for each of the at least two attributes is shown along the other axis; and    superimposing the second chart at a location on the first chart that is based on the location of the subset of records on the first chart.