U.S. patent application number 13/906343 was filed with the patent office on 2014-02-13 for facetted browsing.
The applicant listed for this patent is Microsoft Corporation. Invention is credited to Kevin Fan, Jonathan Edgar Fay, Eric W. Patterson, John Alfred Payne, Igor Borisov Peev, B. Scott Ruble, Jai Srinivasan, Curtis G. Wong, Danhua Zhu.
Application Number | 20140043325 13/906343 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50065859 |
Filed Date | 2014-02-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140043325 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ruble; B. Scott ; et
al. |
February 13, 2014 |
FACETTED BROWSING
Abstract
Concepts and technologies are described herein for facetted
browsing. In accordance with the concepts and technologies
disclosed herein, data can be obtained at a computer system. The
data can include data values and geographic information. The
computer system can generate a geospatial visualization of the data
based, at least partially, upon the data values and the geographic
location information. The computer system can also generate an
overlay visualization of the data based, at least partially, upon
the data values. The computer system can also output the geospatial
visualization and the overlay visualization.
Inventors: |
Ruble; B. Scott; (Bellevue,
WA) ; Zhu; Danhua; (Redmond, WA) ; Patterson;
Eric W.; (Sammamish, WA) ; Wong; Curtis G.;
(Medina, WA) ; Srinivasan; Jai; (Bellevue, WA)
; Fan; Kevin; (Seattle, WA) ; Fay; Jonathan
Edgar; (Woodinville, WA) ; Payne; John Alfred;
(Seattle, WA) ; Peev; Igor Borisov; (Arlington,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Microsoft Corporation |
Redmond |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50065859 |
Appl. No.: |
13/906343 |
Filed: |
May 31, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61681851 |
Aug 10, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/419 ;
345/440 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06T 19/00 20130101;
G06F 40/166 20200101; G06F 16/50 20190101; G06F 16/9537 20190101;
G06F 3/0482 20130101; G06F 16/29 20190101; G06F 3/0481 20130101;
G06F 3/0488 20130101; G06F 16/248 20190101; G06F 3/048 20130101;
G06T 11/206 20130101; G06T 15/00 20130101; G06F 40/169 20200101;
G06T 15/10 20130101; G06F 3/01 20130101; G06F 3/04842 20130101;
G06F 3/04815 20130101; G06F 16/26 20190101; G06F 16/9038 20190101;
G06T 13/00 20130101; G06F 3/04847 20130101; G06F 16/4393 20190101;
G06F 16/2477 20190101; G06F 16/444 20190101; G06F 40/18
20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/419 ;
345/440 |
International
Class: |
G06T 15/10 20060101
G06T015/10 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for facetted browsing, the
computer-implemented method comprising performing
computer-implemented operations for: obtaining, at a computer
system executing a visualization component, data including data
values and geographic location information; generating, by the
computer system, a geospatial visualization of the data based, at
least partially, upon the data values and the geographic location
information; outputting, by the computer system, the geospatial
visualization; generating, by the computer system, an overlay
visualization of the data based, at least partially, upon the data
values; and outputting, by the computer system, the overlay
visualization.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data further comprises
temporal data.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geospatial visualization
comprises a three-dimensional visualization and the overlay
visualization comprises a two-dimensional visualization.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the
computer system, an input via the overlay visualization to perform
an action; and in response to the input, updating, by the computer
system, the geospatial visualization.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the action comprises a brushing
action performed over a portion of the overlay visualization, and
wherein updating the geospatial visualization comprises emphasizing
at least a portion of the geospatial visualization that is
associated with the portion of the overlay visualization.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising updating the overlay
visualization to emphasize the portion of the overlay
visualization.
7. The method of claim 4, wherein the action comprises a selection
action to select a portion of the overlay visualization, and
wherein updating the geospatial visualization comprises emphasizing
at least a portion of the geospatial visualization that is
associated with the portion of the overlay visualization.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: receiving, at the
computer system, a filter input to filter a subset of the data that
is associated with the selected portion of the overlay
visualization; and filtering, by the computer system, the subset of
the data that is associated with the selected portion of the
overlay visualization.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the
computer system, an input via the geospatial visualization to
perform an action; and in response to the input, updating, by the
computer system, the geospatial visualization and the overlay
visualization to reflect the input.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining geographic
mapping data from a geocoding service, the geographic mapping data
comprising data mapping the geographic location information to
geocoded information; and obtaining, from a map server, map data
corresponding to the geocoded information.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the geospatial
visualization comprises generating the geospatial visualization
based, at least partially, upon the geographic mapping data and the
map data.
12. A computer storage medium having computer readable instructions
stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the
computer to: obtain spreadsheet data including data values and
geographic location information; generate a geospatial
visualization of the spreadsheet data based, at least partially,
upon the data values and the geographic location information, the
geospatial visualization comprising a three-dimensional
visualization that represents a plurality of data points associated
with the spreadsheet data in three-dimensional space; output the
geospatial visualization; generate an overlay visualization of the
spreadsheet data based, at least partially, upon the data values,
the overlay visualization comprising a two-dimensional
visualization that represents the plurality of data points
associated with the spreadsheet data in two-dimensional space; and
output the overlay visualization.
13. The computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein the data
further comprises temporal data.
14. The computer storage medium of claim 12, further comprising
computer readable instructions that, when executed by the computer,
causes the computer to: receive an input via the overlay
visualization to perform an action; and in response to the input,
update the geospatial visualization.
15. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the action
comprises a brushing action performed over a portion of the overlay
visualization, and wherein the instructions to update the
geospatial visualization comprise instructions to emphasize at
least a portion of the geospatial visualization that is associated
with the portion of the overlay visualization.
16. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the action
comprises a selection action to select a portion of the overlay
visualization, and wherein the instructions to update the
geospatial visualization comprises instructions to emphasize at
least a portion of the geospatial visualization that is associated
with the portion of the overlay visualization.
17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, further comprising
computer readable instructions that, when executed by the computer,
causes the computer to: receive a filter input to filter a subset
of the data that is associated with the selected portion of the
overlay visualization; and filter the subset of the data that is
associated with the selected portion of the overlay
visualization.
18. A computer storage medium having computer readable instructions
stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the
computer to: obtain spreadsheet data including data values,
temporal information, and geographic location information; generate
a geospatial visualization of the spreadsheet data based, at least
partially, upon the data values, the temporal information, and the
geographic location information, the geospatial visualization
comprising a three-dimensional visualization that represents a
plurality of data points associated with the spreadsheet data in
three-dimensional space; output the geospatial visualization to a
user computing device in communication with the computer; generate
an overlay visualization of the spreadsheet data based, at least
partially, upon the data values and the temporal information, the
overlay visualization comprising a two-dimensional chart that
represents the plurality of data points associated with the
spreadsheet data in two-dimensional space; and output the overlay
visualization to the user computing device such that the overlay
visualization at least partially overlays the geospatial
visualization.
19. The computer storage medium of claim 18, further comprising
computer readable instructions that, when executed by the computer,
causes the computer to: receive an input to select a portion of the
spreadsheet data via the two-dimensional chart; in response to the
input, select the portion of the spreadsheet data in the
two-dimensional chart; and further in response to the input, select
an associated portion of the spreadsheet data in the
three-dimensional visualization.
20. The computer storage medium of claim 18, further comprising
computer readable instructions that, when executed by the computer,
causes the computer to: receive an input to select a portion of the
spreadsheet data via the three-dimensional visualization; in
response to the input, select the portion of the spreadsheet data
in the three-dimensional visualization; and further in response to
the input, select an associated portion of the spreadsheet data in
the two-dimensional chart.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 61/681,851 entitled "3D Visualization of Data in
Geographical and Temporal Contexts," filed Aug. 10, 2012, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A spreadsheet application, reporting application, or other
data presentation application may support presentation of data in
two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional pie charts, graphs, bar
charts, or the like. Thus, users can chart or graph some data to
gain insight into the data, relationships among data points,
trends, or the like. Some data, however, may include various data
components that are not readily susceptible to graphing and
therefore may not be appreciated and/or viewable by users.
[0003] In particular, some data may include a geographical
component. Charts and graphs in spreadsheet applications may
present geographical information, but typically the display of this
information is limited to a color code or data label. The color
code or data label can specify, for example, a ZIP code, city name,
country, or the like associated with the data points charted or
graphed in the spreadsheet application.
[0004] It is with respect to these and other considerations that
the disclosure made herein is presented.
SUMMARY
[0005] Concepts and technologies are described herein for facetted
browsing. In accordance with the concepts and technologies
disclosed herein, a computer system can execute a visualization
component. The visualization component can be included in a
spreadsheet application and/or can be configured to present
visualizations of spreadsheet data. The visualizations can include
geospatial visualizations and overlay visualizations. As used
herein, a "geospatial visualization" can include an animation scene
or tour of multiple scenes that represent spreadsheet data on a
globe, map, or other three-dimensional representation of location.
As used herein, an "overlay visualization" can be linked to a
geospatial visualization so as to enable a user to perform various
actions to interact with spreadsheet data in a two-dimensional
space and to see results of the interaction reflected in a
three-dimensional space provided by the geospatial visualization.
An overlay visualization can include a chart such as, but not
limited to, a column chart, line chart, pie chart, bar chart, area
chart, scatter plot, stock chart, surface chart, doughnut chart,
bubble chart, radar chart, histogram, any variation thereof, any
combination thereof, and/or the like. An overlay visualization can
alternatively or additionally include one or more graphical user
interface ("GUI") elements such as buttons tabs, scroll bars,
icons, menus, combinations thereof, and/or the like. An overlay
visualization may overlay a geospatial visualization.
Alternatively, an overlay visualization may be positioned above,
below, or adjacent to a geospatial visualization.
[0006] According to one aspect, the computer system can obtain
data. The data can include spreadsheet data. The data can include
data values and geographic location information. In some
embodiments, the data also includes temporal information. The
computer system can access one or more geocoding services to obtain
geographic mapping data. The computer system can use the geographic
mapping data to map the geographic location information included in
the data to geographic coordinates and/or other geocoded
information. The computer system also can obtain map data, for
example, from a map server. The map data can include map images
that are joined together by the computer system and visually
wrapped onto a virtual globe to provide the geospatial
visualization.
[0007] According to another aspect, the computer system can obtain
data that includes data values and geographic location information.
The computer system also can generate a geospatial visualization of
the data based, at least partially, upon the data values and the
geographic location information. The computer system also can
generate an overlay visualization of the data based, at least
partially, upon the data values. The computer system can also
output the geospatial visualization and the overlay
visualization.
[0008] According to another aspect, the computer system can obtain
spreadsheet data that includes data values and geographic location
information. The computer system also can generate a geospatial
visualization of the spreadsheet data based, at least partially,
upon the data values and the geographic location information. The
geospatial visualization can include a three-dimensional
visualization that represents a plurality of data points associated
with the spreadsheet data in three-dimensional space. The computer
system also can output the geospatial visualization. The computer
system also can generate an overlay visualization of the
spreadsheet data based, at least partially, upon the data values.
The overlay visualization can include a two-dimensional
visualization that represents the plurality of data points
associated with the spreadsheet data in two-dimensional space. The
computer system also can output the overlay visualization. In some
embodiments, the computer system outputs the overlay visualization
so that the overlay visualization overlays at least a portion of
the geospatial visualization.
[0009] According to another aspect, the computer system can obtain
spreadsheet data that includes data values, temporal information,
and geographic location information. The computer system also can
generate a geospatial visualization of the spreadsheet data based,
at least partially, upon the data values, the temporal information,
and the geographic location information. The geospatial information
can include a three-dimensional visualization that represents a
plurality of data points associated with the spreadsheet data in
three-dimensional space. The computer system also can output the
geospatial visualization to a user computing device that is in
communication with the computer system. The computer system also
can generate an overlay visualization of the spreadsheet data
based, at least partially, upon the data values and the temporal
information. The overlay visualization can include a
two-dimensional chart that represents the plurality of data points
associated with the spreadsheet data in two-dimensional space. The
computer system also can output the overlay visualization to the
user computing device such that the overlay visualization at least
partially overlays the geospatial visualization.
[0010] In some embodiments, the computer system also can receive an
input to select a portion of the spreadsheet data via the
two-dimensional chart included in the overlay visualization. In
response to the input, the computer system can select the portion
of the spreadsheet data in the two-dimensional chart and a
corresponding portion of the spreadsheet data in the
three-dimensional visualization.
[0011] In some other embodiments, the computer system also can
receive an input to select a portion of the spreadsheet data via
the three-dimensional visualization included in the geospatial
visualization. In response to the input, the computer system can
select the portion of the spreadsheet data in the three-dimensional
visualization and a corresponding portion of the spreadsheet data
in the two-dimensional chart.
[0012] It should be appreciated that the above-described subject
matter may be implemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a
computer process, a computing system, or as an article of
manufacture such as a computer-readable storage medium. These and
various other features will be apparent from a reading of the
following Detailed Description and a review of the associated
drawings.
[0013] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended that this Summary be used to limit the scope of
the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter
is not limited to implementations that solve any or all
disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating an illustrative
operating environment for the various embodiments disclosed
herein.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing aspects of a visualization
component, according an illustrative embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing aspects of a method for
facetted browsing, according to an illustrative embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing aspects of a method for
filtering data via an overlay visualization that is linked to a
geospatial visualization, according to an illustrative
embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showings aspects of a method for
filtering data via a geospatial visualization that is linked to an
overlay visualization.
[0019] FIGS. 6A-6C are user interface diagrams showing aspects of
user interfaces for facetted browsing, according to various
illustrative embodiments.
[0020] FIG. 7 is a computer architecture diagram illustrating an
illustrative computer hardware and software architecture for a
computing system capable of implementing aspects of the embodiments
presented herein.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a distributed computing
environment capable of implementing aspects of the embodiments
presented herein.
[0022] FIG. 9 is a computer architecture diagram illustrating a
computing device architecture capable of implementing aspects of
the embodiments presented herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The following detailed description is directed to concepts
and technologies for facetted browsing. Concepts and technologies
are described herein for facetted browsing. In accordance with the
concepts and technologies disclosed herein, a computer system can
execute a visualization component. The visualization component can
be included in a spreadsheet application and/or can be configured
to present visualizations of spreadsheet data. The visualizations
can include geospatial visualizations and overlay visualizations.
As used herein, a "geospatial visualization" can include an
animation scene or tour of multiple scenes that represent
spreadsheet data on a globe, map, or other three-dimensional
representation of location. As used herein, an "overlay
visualization" can be linked to a geospatial visualization so as to
enable a user to perform various actions to interact with
spreadsheet data in a two-dimensional space and to see results of
the interaction reflected in a three-dimensional space provided by
the geospatial visualization. An overlay visualization can include
a chart such as, but not limited to, a column chart, line chart,
pie chart, bar chart, area chart, scatter plot, stock chart,
surface chart, doughnut chart, bubble chart, radar chart,
histogram, any variation thereof, any combination thereof, and/or
the like. An overlay visualization can alternatively or
additionally include one or more graphical user interface ("GUI")
elements such as buttons tabs, scroll bars, icons, menus,
combinations thereof, and/or the like. An overlay visualization may
overlay a geospatial visualization. Alternatively, an overlay
visualization may be positioned above, below, or adjacent to a
geospatial visualization.
[0024] While the subject matter described herein is presented in
the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction
with the execution of an operating system and application programs
on a computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that
other implementations may be performed in combination with other
types of program modules. Generally, program modules include
routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of
structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular
abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be
practiced with other computer system configurations, including
hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or
programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe
computers, and the like.
[0025] In the following detailed description, references are made
to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which
are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent
like elements throughout the several figures, aspects of a
computing system, computer-readable storage medium, and
computer-implemented methodology for facetted browsing will be
presented.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 1, aspects of one operating
environment 100 for the various embodiments presented herein will
be described. The operating environment 100 shown in FIG. 1
includes a computer system 102 operating as a part of and/or in
communication with a communications network ("network") 104.
According to various implementations of the concepts and
technologies disclosed herein, the functionality of the computer
system 102 can be provided by a cloud-based computing platform that
can be provided by one or more application servers, Web servers,
data storage systems, network appliances, dedicated hardware
devices, and/or other server computers or computing devices.
[0027] According to some other embodiments, the computer system 102
can include a user computing device, such as a tablet computing
device, a personal computer ("PC"), a desktop computer, a laptop
computer, a notebook computer, a cellular phone or smartphone,
other mobile computing devices, a personal digital assistant
("PDA"), or the like. Some example architectures of the computer
system 102 are illustrated and described below with reference to
FIGS. 7-9. For purposes of illustrating and describing the concepts
and technologies disclosed herein, the functionality of the
computer system 102 is described herein as being provided by a
server computer. In light of the above alternative embodiments of
the computer system 102 described above, it should be understood
that this example is illustrative, and should not be construed as
being limiting in any way.
[0028] The computer system 102 can be configured to execute an
operating system 106 and one or more application programs such as,
for example, a spreadsheet application 108, a visualization
component 110, and/or other application programs. The operating
system 106 is a computer program for controlling the operation of
the computer system 102. The application programs are executable
programs configured to execute on top of the operating system 106
to provide the functionality described herein for facetted
browsing.
[0029] In particular, the spreadsheet application 108 can be
configured to create, manipulate, store, and/or otherwise interact
with tabular or other structured data such as spreadsheets.
According to some embodiments of the concepts and technologies
disclosed herein, the functionality of the spreadsheet application
108 can be provided by a member of the MICROSOFT EXCEL family of
spreadsheet applications from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond,
Wash. In some other embodiments, the functionality of the
spreadsheet application 108 can be provided by a database
application, a data reporting application, a data presentation
application, combinations thereof, or the like.
[0030] According to some implementations, the spreadsheet
application 108 can be executed by one or more server computers in
the computer system 102, such as application servers and/or Web
servers. Thus, the functionality of the spreadsheet application 108
can be accessed by other computing devices and/or accessed at the
computer system 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the
functionality of the spreadsheet application 108 can be accessed
and/or interacted with by a user computing device 112. The
functionality of the user computing device 112 can be provided by,
for example, a tablet computing device, a smartphone, a laptop
computer, a desktop computer, other computing devices, combinations
thereof, or the like. The user computing device 112 can communicate
with the computer system 102 over one or more links or networks
such as, for example, the network 104, a private network, a direct
wireless or wired connection, the Internet, and/or combinations of
these and other networks and/or communication links.
[0031] Although not visible in FIG. 1, the user computing device
112 can execute one or more client applications. The client
applications can include Web browser applications and/or other
applications for accessing the spreadsheet application 108
executing on the computer system 102. In some embodiments, the
spreadsheet application 108 can be executed locally on the user
computing device 112 or other devices that can include the
functionality of the computer system 102 described herein. The
spreadsheet application 108 can be implemented as hardware,
software, and/or a combination of the two. Furthermore, the
spreadsheet application 108 can include one or more application
program modules and other components on the user computing device
112, the computer system 102, and/or other computing platforms. As
will be explained in more detail herein, the computer system 102
and/or the user computing device 112 can generate and/or present
one or more user interfaces ("UIs") 114. The UIs 114 can be
provided to the user computing device 112 for presentation to a
user 116.
[0032] According to various embodiments, the spreadsheet
application 108 can be configured to generate, manipulate, and/or
store tabular or other structured data that can be included in
spreadsheet data 118. The spreadsheet data 118 also can be stored
in tables of a database, objects stored in an object store, or the
like. While the spreadsheet data 118 is illustrated, the
spreadsheet application 108 and/or the visualization component 110
can be configured to generate, manipulate, and/or other types of
data and metadata. Because the functionality of the spreadsheet
application 108 is generally understood, the spreadsheet
application 108 will not be described in additional detail
herein.
[0033] In some embodiments, the spreadsheet data 118 includes data
that has been modeled in accordance with one or more data models.
For example, the spreadsheet data 118 can include data modeled in
accordance with a relational model that defines a relational
organization among data tables.
[0034] According to various implementations, the spreadsheet data
118 can be obtained by the computer system 102 from a local or
remote data source 120. In some embodiments, the data source 120
can include a memory, disk drive, or other data storage element of
or associated with the computer system 102. In some other
embodiments, such as the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the data
source 120 can include a network drive, a server computer operating
as a part of and/or in communication with the network 104, a
database or other real or virtual data storage elements, and/or
other data storage devices. As such, it should be understood that
the data source 120 can include almost any type of data storage
device that is local to and/or remote from the computer system
102.
[0035] The visualization component 110 can be configured to obtain
the spreadsheet data 118 from the spreadsheet application 108
and/or directly from the data source 120, and to generate, based
upon the spreadsheet data 118, three-dimensional visualizations of
the spreadsheet data 118 in a geographical and/or temporal context.
In some embodiments, the visualization component 110 can be
implemented as a component of the spreadsheet application 108, and
in some embodiments, the visualization component 110 can be
implemented as a component separate from the spreadsheet
application. In some embodiments, the visualization component 110
can be provided as a stand-alone application. Thus, while the
spreadsheet application 108 and the visualization component 110 are
illustrated as components of the computer system 102, it should be
understood that each of these components, or combinations thereof,
may be embodied as or in stand-alone devices or components thereof
operating on or in communication with the network 104 and/or the
computer system 102. Thus, the illustrated embodiment is
illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any
way.
[0036] In some embodiments, the visualization component 110 may be
implemented as a plugin or add-in for the spreadsheet application
108. In some other embodiments, the visualization component 110 can
include a service and/or set of application programming interfaces
("APIs") that can provide the functionality described herein. Thus,
it should be appreciated that the visualization component 110 can
be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination thereof.
[0037] According to various embodiments of the concepts and
technologies disclosed herein, the visualization component 110 can
be configured to access one or more geocoding services 122. The
geocoding services 122 can be configured to map geographical data
included in the spreadsheet data 118 to geographic information.
Thus, for example, the visualization component 110 can provide
geographical data included in the spreadsheet data 118 such as, for
example, a street address, a city, a state, a ZIP code, or the
like, to the geocoding services 122. The geocoding services 122 can
map this geographical data to latitude and longitude information
and/or other geocoded location data. Thus, it can be appreciated
that the geocoding services 122 can be called by the computer
system 102 via one or more APIs exposed by the geocoding services
122, though this is not necessarily the case. Furthermore, the
geocoding services 122 can be configured to provide geographic
mapping data 124 representing mappings of the geographical data to
the geocoded location data to the computer system 102, though this
is not necessarily the case.
[0038] In some embodiments, the visualization component 110 can
access the geocoding services 122 via one or more networks such as,
for example, the network 104, the Internet, other networks, and/or
a combination thereof. In some other embodiments, the geocoding
services 122 can be implemented on the computer system 102. In one
contemplated embodiment, the geocoding services 122 are implemented
as a component of the visualization component 110. It should be
understood that this embodiment is illustrative, and should not be
construed as being limiting in any way.
[0039] The visualization component 110 also can be configured to
obtain and/or access map data 126. The map data 126 can be used to
provide geolocation and/or graphical data for the creation of the
three-dimensional geographical maps as described herein. The
visualization component 110 may be configured to obtain or access
the map data 126 from or at a computing device such as, for
example, a map server 128. In some embodiments, the functionality
of the map server 128 can be provided by a mapping application
executed by a search engine such as the BING search engine from
Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. Because the functionality
of the map server 128 can be provided by additional and/or other
devices and/or applications, it should be understood that this
embodiment is illustrative, and should not be construed as being
limiting in any way.
[0040] The computer system 102 can access the map server 128 via
one or more networks such as, for example, the network 104. In some
embodiments, the visualization component 110 can be configured to
access map tiles from the map data 126, and to stich the map tiles
together over a three-dimensional globe armature to create a
three-dimensional geographic globe. The visualization component 110
can be configured to use geocoded location data such as latitude
and longitude data from the geocoding services 122 to place
visualizations of data included in the spreadsheet data 118 on the
three-dimensional geographic globe. As such, various embodiments of
the visualization component 110 can be configured to generate
displays of geographic data in three-dimensional geospatial
visualizations.
[0041] As used herein, a "geospatial visualization" can include an
animation scene or tour of multiple scenes that represent the
spreadsheet data 118 on a globe, map, or other three-dimensional
representation of location. The spreadsheet data 118 can be
displayed on the globe, map, or the like at points corresponding to
geographic location data included in the spreadsheet data 118. The
geospatial visualization also can show data changes over time.
[0042] The visualization component 110 also can be configured to
generate one or more two-dimensional visualizations of the
spreadsheet data 118. The user 116 can more easily browse the
spreadsheet data 118 displayed within a geospatial visualization by
interacting with at least a portion of the spreadsheet data 118
displayed within a two-dimensional space provided by one or more
two-dimensional visualizations that overlay the geospatial
visualization. An "overlay visualization" can be linked to a
geospatial visualization so as to enable a user to perform various
actions to interact with the spreadsheet data 118 in a
two-dimensional space and to see results of the interaction
reflected in a three-dimensional space provided by the geospatial
visualization. An overlay visualization can include a chart such
as, but not limited to, a column chart, line chart, pie chart, bar
chart, area chart, scatter plot, stock chart, surface chart,
doughnut chart, bubble chart, radar chart, histogram, any variation
thereof, any combination thereof, and/or the like. An overlay
visualization can alternatively or additionally include one or more
graphical user interface ("GUI") elements such as buttons tabs,
scroll bars, icons, menus, combinations thereof, and/or the like.
It should be understood that while an overlay visualization can
represent the spreadsheet data 118 in a two-dimensional space,
elements of the overlay visualization, such as bars in a bar chart,
might be generated to appear three-dimensional, have shadow
effects, or to have other effects that enhance the visual appeal of
the overlay visualization. An overlay visualization may overlay a
geospatial visualization. Alternatively, an overlay visualization
may be positioned above, below, or adjacent to a geospatial
visualization.
[0043] The visualization component 110 also can be configured to
provide the functionality described herein for facetted browsing.
As used herein, "facetted browsing" can generally include a
selection or other interaction with at least a portion of the
spreadsheet data 118 that is represented within two-dimensional
space via one or more overlay visualizations to easily interact
with at least a corresponding portion of the spreadsheet data 118
that is represented within three-dimensional space via a geospatial
visualization. Facetted browsing can enable the user 116 to browse
the spreadsheet data 118 in two-dimensional space and
three-dimensional space spatially, temporarily, and
categorically.
[0044] The user 116 may interact with the spreadsheet application
108 and the visualization component 110 to create and/or navigate a
three-dimensional visualization of the spreadsheet data 118 through
a display of the user computing device 112. The user 116 also may
interact with the spreadsheet application 108 and the visualization
component 110 to create and/or navigate an overlay visualization of
the spreadsheet data 118 through a display of the user computing
device 112. The user 116 can interact with the spreadsheet
application 108 and the visualization component 110 to perform
actions to at least a portion of the spreadsheet data 118 presented
on an overlay visualization and see results of the action on
corresponding representations of the portion of the spreadsheet
data 118 presented on the geospatial visualization. In some
embodiments, the user 116 may use one or more input devices of the
user computing device 112 such as a touchscreen, a keyboard, a
mouse, a game controller, combinations thereof, or the like. The
UIs 114 can be presented on the touchscreen, a monitor, a display,
other display surfaces or devices, combinations thereof, or the
like.
[0045] A user can interact with one or more overlay visualizations
through actions such as, but not limited to, brushing, selection,
filtering, and comparison. As used herein, a "brushing action" can
include a mouse click, touch, touch gesture, or other user input
directed to an item on an overlay visualization that is
representative of at least a portion of the spreadsheet data 118
(e.g., a bar of a bar chart) to emphasize a corresponding portion
of the spreadsheet data 118 that is represented on a geospatial
visualization. A brushing action can emphasize a brushed over item
or a portion thereof within the overlay visualization as well as
the corresponding portion of the spreadsheet data 118 associated
with the item within the geospatial visualization. The emphasis
applied to the portion of the spreadsheet data 118 shown in the
overlay visualization can be the same as or different from the
emphasis applied to the corresponding portion of the spreadsheet
data 118 shown in the geospatial visualization. An emphasis can
include, but is not limited to, a highlight, an animation, a color
change, a size change, an embossment, any other visually emphatic
item, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, an emphasis
can include an accompanying sound such as, for example, a
pre-defined sound that is associated with the application of an
emphasis to at least a portion of the spreadsheet data 118. In some
embodiments, an emphasis is not directly applied but inherent
because other data (e.g., surrounding data points on a geospatial
visualization) is deemphasized or no longer displayed.
[0046] In some embodiments, data shown in a geospatial
visualization and/or in an overlay visualization is shown in
aggregated or summary form. In these embodiments, an action
performed on one of the visualizations that shows aggregated data
may not reflect a one-to-one change on the other visualization, and
instead may reflect a one-to-many change to account for the
aggregated data that may span multiple categories, for example.
[0047] As used herein, a "selection" can include a mouse click,
touch, touch gesture, speech input, or other user input used to
choose an item from an overlay visualization for receipt of another
action to be applied to the chosen item, such as, for example, the
application or removal of one or more filters. As used herein, a
"filter" can include one or more conditions that are to be applied
to the spreadsheet data 118 so that only a portion of the
spreadsheet data 118 is displayed on one or more overlay
visualizations and the geospatial visualization.
[0048] As explained above, an overlay visualization might include a
bar chart. For ease of explanation and not limitation, the
following example describes an overlay visualization that includes
a bar chart. The bar chart can include one or more bars, each of
which is associated with a portion of the spreadsheet data 118 that
is displayed on a geospatial visualization that is linked to the
bar chart. The user 116 can brush over a bar of the bar chart, and
in response, the visualization component 110 can cause the overlay
visualization to emphasize the brushed over bar and the
corresponding portion of the spreadsheet data 118 that is displayed
on the geospatial visualization. The user 116 can then choose one
or more filters to apply to the selected bar and the corresponding
portion of the spreadsheet data 118, thereby filtering the
spreadsheet data 118 displayed on the geospatial visualization via
the overlay visualization. In response to the application of one or
more filters to the selected bar, a filtered portion of the
spreadsheet data 118 can be emphasized on the geospatial
visualization to distinguish the filtered portion of the
spreadsheet data 118 from a remaining portion of the spreadsheet
data 118.
[0049] As a more concrete, real-world example, the spreadsheet data
118 might include arrest data for a particular city over a
particular time period, and each data point represented within a
geospatial visualization might represent an arrest. The user 116
may desire to filter the spreadsheet data 118 so that only certain
types of arrests, such as drug arrests, are displayed on the
geospatial visualization. The user 116 can select a filter to cause
the computer system 102 to execute the visualization component 110
to display only a portion of the spreadsheet data 118 that is
related to drug arrests. The result of applying such a filter might
be the visualization component 110 applying an emphasis to the
drug-related arrests within the geospatial visualization to
distinguish the drug-related arrests from arrests associated with
other arrest categories, such as homicide or robbery.
[0050] In the above example, the overlay visualization might
display the drug-related arrests as different drug categories that
the user 116 can select to further filter the spreadsheet data 118
represented within the geospatial visualization. Each of these
categories may be displayed within the overlay visualization, for
example, as bars within a bar chart. When the user 116 brushes over
any of the bars, the brushed-over bar can become emphasized and the
corresponding portion of the spreadsheet data 118 that is
represented on the geospatial visualization also can be emphasized
so as to distinguish drug arrests of the drug category associated
with the brushed-over bar from the other drug categories displayed
within the overlay visualization. The user 116 may also desire to
further filter the spreadsheet data 118 to show drug arrests within
a particular drug category that occurred on a specific date or
during a specific date range. The user 116 may also desire to
further filter the spreadsheet data 118 to show drug arrests within
a particular drug category that occurred on a specific date or
during a specific date range and at a specific time or during a
specific time range. As the user 116 selects filters, the
spreadsheet data 118 that adheres to the condition(s) specified by
the filters can be emphasized on the geospatial visualization.
[0051] A "time range" can be used herein to refer to a time
duration of the data points that is to be represented in the
visualization. The time range can be determined based upon an
analysis of the spreadsheet data 118 and/or can be specified by a
user or other entity. For example, a user can specify a time range
based upon a determination a duration of time over which the user
wishes to present the data. Thus, a user may specify a time range
of particular interest such as, for example, a particular hour,
day, week, month, quarter, year, decade, century, or the like.
Because the time range can be specified as additional and/or
alternative amounts of time, it should be understood that this
embodiment is illustrative, and should not be construed as being
limiting in any way.
[0052] In some embodiments, the computer system 102 can determine
the time range over which to show the visualization based upon the
spreadsheet data 118. In particular, the computer system can be
configured to determine an earliest time included in the
spreadsheet data 118 and a latest time included in the spreadsheet
data 118, and to define the time range as being bound by these two
times. Thus, for example, if the earliest time data associated with
the spreadsheet data 118 corresponds to Jan. 1, 2014 and the latest
time data associated with the spreadsheet data 118 corresponds to
Jan. 1, 2015, the computer system 102 can determine that the time
range is to correspond to one year beginning on Jan. 1, 2014.
[0053] In yet other embodiments, the computer system 102 can
determine a time range based upon an analysis of the spreadsheet
data 118 and assumptions as to what time ranges are likely to be of
interest to a user or other entity. Thus, for example, if a data
set includes one hundred data points, with ninety of the data
points occurring within a one month range and the remainder of the
data points occurring over a year period before and/or after the
one month range, the computer system 102 may determine that the one
month range is to be defined as the time range, and that the other
data points are not to be represented in the visualization. This
example is illustrative and should not be construed as being
limiting in any way.
[0054] "Animation speed" can refer to a rate at which data points
are presented in the visualization. In particular, the computer
system 102 can be configured to present the spreadsheet data 118 in
a visualization over a default time. In some embodiments, the
default time can correspond to ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty
seconds, other times, or the like. The default time can be
specified by a user, application setting, preferences, or the like,
and/or can be based upon an assumption that a user or other viewer
wishes to watch an animated sequence for a time corresponding to
the default time. Thus, whether the spreadsheet data 118 includes
three hundred records or three thousand records, the animation can
last the defined duration.
[0055] To meet the defined duration, the computer system 102 and/or
a user can adjust the animation speed. In the above example of a
thirty second duration and three hundred data points, the animation
speed can correspond to ten data points (or animation frames) per
second. In the other example of three thousand data points and
thirty seconds, the animation speed can correspond to one hundred
data points per second. It should be understood that these
embodiments are illustrative, and should not be construed as being
limiting in any way.
[0056] In some embodiments, however, the computer system 102 can be
configured to impose a maximum animation speed such as, for
example, fifteen milliseconds. Thus, the animation speed can be
limited by the computer system 102, in some embodiments, to
approximately sixty-six data points per second. In some
implementations, this maximum animation speed can be imposed to
allow the computer system 102 resources to draw each animation
frame without negatively impacting performance of the computer
system 102. Because the maximum animation speed can be omitted
and/or can correspond to other rates, it should be understood that
this embodiment is illustrative, and should not be construed as
being limiting in any way.
[0057] According to various embodiments, the computer system 102
can obtain spreadsheet data 118 from a data source such as the data
source 120. The spreadsheet data 118 can include a set of data
points ("data set") having values, temporal values such as time
stamps, and location information. As such, a particular data point
of the data set can include a value, a corresponding location, and
a corresponding time. The computer system 102 can identify a time
component of the spreadsheet data 118, and generate a visualization
of the spreadsheet data 118 based upon at least the time
component.
[0058] In some embodiments, the application of one or more filters
is incremental so that the user 116 can explore various facets
(e.g., categories, categories within categories, temporal aspects,
and/or other aspects) of the spreadsheet data 118 to discover
potential insights, which might lead the user 116 to identify
patterns within the spreadsheet data 118 and/or might lead the user
116 to further explore within selected facets or other facets of
the spreadsheet data 118. By linking one or more overlay
visualizations to a geospatial visualization, the difficulty of
browsing data points within a three-dimensional space is mitigated
or eliminated, but the user 116 maintains the benefits of viewing a
visual representation of the spreadsheet data 118 within a
geospatial visualization.
[0059] FIG. 1 illustrates one computer system 102, one network 104,
one user computing device 112, one data source 120, one instance of
geocoding services 122, and one map server 128. It should be
understood, however, that some implementations of the operating
environment 100 can include multiple computer systems 102, multiple
networks 104, multiple user computing devices 112, multiple data
sources 120, multiple instances of the geocoding services 122,
and/or multiple map servers 128. As such, the illustrated
embodiment of the operating environment should be understood as
being illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting
in any way.
[0060] Turning now to FIG. 2, additional aspects of the
visualization component 110 will be presented, according to one
illustrative embodiment. In particular, FIG. 2 provides further
details regarding architecture and subcomponents of the
visualization component 110, according to some embodiments. The
visualization component 110 can include a number of components
and/or subsystems including, but not limited to, a visualization
control 200, a visualization engine 202, a spreadsheet plugin core
204, and/or other components and/or subsystems.
[0061] The visualization control 200 can include functionality for
representing data, performing searches and/or providing search
services, a globe control for visualizing and/or presenting
representations of the globe, video recording functionality for
recording animations and/or videos of illustrated tours, and a
client. The visualization engine 202 can include functionality for
generating a tour including multiple scenes, images, and/or
animation sequences; functionality for measuring and/or
representing time in the visualization space; an engine core for
providing the visualization component functionality described
herein; annotations functionality for generating and/or rendering
two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional annotations; spatial
indexing functionality; and camera functionality. The visualization
engine 202 also can include globe models and/or functionality for
representing the globe; input and touch modules for interpreting
touch and/or multi-touch commands as input; visual layers
functionality for representing and/or interacting with layers of a
visualization space; a tile cache for storing map tiles; a
three-dimensional graphics module for generating and/or rendering
three-dimensional visualizations; and shaders for providing shading
of generated and/or rendered three-dimensional objects.
[0062] As used herein, a "layer" of a scene can correspond to a set
of data having data values, geographic information, and time
information. Thus, a particular scene may include multiple layers
corresponding to, for example, household income and income tax rate
over time at a number of geographic locations. Thus, by showing
multiple layers in a visualization, a user or other entity may view
changes in both types of data over time and with respect to
location. It should be understood that this embodiment is
illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any
way.
[0063] In some embodiments, a layer includes a geospatial
visualization and one or more overlay visualizations. The one or
more overlay visualizations may overlay at least a portion of the
geospatial visualization.
[0064] In some embodiments, the shaders can include or implement a
number of algorithms to facilitate the rendering of the
three-dimensional geographical visualizations of data described
herein. For example, the visualization component 110 can implement
a dark aura effect for disambiguating visualization of a number of
similarly colored objects. A dark aura effect can include a visual
treatment that allows a viewer, for example the user 116, to
differentiate between items in a three-dimensional visualization
space. When there are multiple, similarly colored columns in a
three-dimensional visualization or view, some of these columns may
be next to and/or behind one another in the three-dimensional view.
Thus, the multiple columns may appear to be grouped together and/or
may look like a single polygon. In some embodiments of the concepts
and technologies disclosed herein, the dark aura effect can be
added around one or more of the columns, thereby allowing the one
or more columns to appear to stand out from one another. Because
other visual effects are possible and are contemplated, it should
be understood that this example is illustrative, and should not be
construed as being limiting in any way.
[0065] In another example, the visualization component 110 may
implement a GPU-based framework for asynchronous hit testing for
large number of arbitrary three-dimensional elements. This may
comprise adding "out-of-channel" color information to pixels of the
objects rendered in the three-dimensional visualization that may be
invisible to the viewer, but can contain information identifying
the object. Thus, if a user taps, clicks, or otherwise interacts
with a point in the three-dimensional visualization, the identity
of the object represented by the selected pixel can be known
without deconstructing the three-dimensional visualization and
determining the object rendered at the selected location. This may
be implemented in the GPU.
[0066] The spreadsheet plugin core 204 can include functionality
for storing workbook state information, as well as a query engine
for generating and/or executing queries against various data
sources. In some embodiments, the query engine can be configured to
generate a query based upon data stored in the spreadsheet data
118, and to submit the queries to a query engine. It should be
understood that this embodiment is illustrative, and should not be
construed as being limiting in any way.
[0067] The visualization component 110 also can include various
other components and/or subsystems such as, for example, a
spreadsheet program native plugin and a spreadsheet program command
object model ("COM") API. The visualization component 110 also can
include various graphics plugins and/or APIs such as the
illustrated DIRECTX APIs, API call emulators such as the
illustrated DIRECTX WRAPPER, a WINDOWS Presentation Foundation
("WPF") subsystem, combinations thereof, or the like. The
visualization component 110 also can include analytics engines such
as the illustrated VERTIPAQ engine and/or modules associated with
other data providers, if desired. It should be appreciated that the
visualization component 110 can include additional and/or
alternative functionality not shown in FIG. 2. As such, the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 should be understood as being
illustrative and should not be construed as being limiting in any
way
[0068] Turning now to FIG. 3, aspects of a method 300 for facetted
browsing will be described in detail. It should be understood that
the operations of the methods disclosed herein are not necessarily
presented in any particular order and that performance of some or
all of the operations in an alternative order(s) is possible and is
contemplated. The operations have been presented in the
demonstrated order for ease of description and illustration.
Operations may be added, omitted, and/or performed simultaneously,
without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
[0069] It also should be understood that the illustrated methods
disclosed herein can be ended at any time and need not be performed
in their respective (or collective) entireties. Some or all
operations of the methods disclosed herein, and/or substantially
equivalent operations, can be performed by execution of
computer-readable instructions included on a computer-storage
media, as defined herein. The term "computer-readable
instructions," and variants thereof, as used in the description and
claims, is used expansively herein to include routines,
applications, application modules, program modules, programs,
components, data structures, algorithms, and the like.
Computer-readable instructions can be implemented on various system
configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor
systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personal computers,
hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based, programmable
consumer electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.
[0070] Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations
described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer
implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system
and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit
modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter
of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of
the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described
herein are referred to variously as states, operations, structural
devices, acts, or modules. These operations, structural devices,
acts, and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in
special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof.
[0071] For purposes of illustrating and describing the concepts of
the present disclosure, the methods disclosed herein are described
as being performed by the computer system 102 via execution of one
or more software modules such as, for example, the visualization
component 110. It should be understood that additional and/or
alternative devices and/or network nodes can provide the
functionality described herein via execution of one or more
modules, applications, and/or other software including, but not
limited to, the visualization component 110. Thus, the illustrated
embodiments are illustrative, and should not be viewed as being
limiting in any way.
[0072] The method 300 begins at operation 302, wherein the computer
system 102 obtains data such as the spreadsheet data 118. As
explained above, the spreadsheet data 118 can include various types
of information or content such as, for example, spreadsheet files,
database application data, and/or other types of information. In
one contemplated embodiment, the spreadsheet data 118 corresponds
to a spreadsheet file such as a file generated by a member of the
MICROSOFT EXCEL family of spreadsheet application software products
from Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. The spreadsheet data
118 can be obtained from a data storage device or component
associated with the computer system 102. Some examples of data
storage devices are described in more detail below with reference
to FIGS. 7-9. In some other embodiments, the spreadsheet data 118
can be stored at or hosted by a remote storage device or resource
such as the data source 120 described herein. Thus, the spreadsheet
data 118 can be obtained by the computer system 102 via
communications with the data source 120. As such, it should be
understood that the spreadsheet data 118 can be obtained from any
real or virtual device via a direct connection, via one or more
networks, and/or via other nodes, devices, and/or device
components.
[0073] From operation 302, the method 300 proceeds to operation
304, wherein the computer system 102 generates one or more
geospatial visualizations of the data obtained at operation 302. At
operation 304, the computer system 102 can determine, based upon
preferences, options, configuration settings, user input,
combinations thereof, or the like, what should be displayed within
the geospatial visualization. For example, the default portion of a
globe or other three-dimensional location that is to be displayed,
how the data is to be displayed on the geospatial visualization,
the color theme to be utilized, whether or not the data has a time
component, and the like. Moreover, at operation 304, the computer
system 102 can generate one or more data labels for the geospatial
visualization. The data labels can include text, images, or other
representations that specify what the data represent in the
geospatial visualization. Thus, the labels can include, for
example, a data type, a data name, location information, color
information, data value labels, combinations thereof, or the
like.
[0074] From operation 304, the method 300 proceeds to operation
306, wherein the computer system 102 presents the one or more
geospatial visualizations of the data. As explained above, a
geospatial visualization can be presented in or as a UI 114
presented at the user computing device 112 and/or other computing
devices. The UI 114 can be presented by or on a display, a
touchscreen, a monitor, a projector, and/or other display
device.
[0075] From operation 306, the method 300 proceeds to operation
308, wherein the computer system 102 receives an input to view one
or more overlay visualizations. From operation 308, the method 300
proceeds to operation 310, wherein the computer system 102
generates one or more overlay visualizations of the data obtained
at operation 302. From operation 310, the method 300 proceeds to
operation 312, wherein the computer system 102 presents the one or
more overlay visualizations of the data. As explained above, an
overlay visualization can be presented in or as a UI 114 presented
at the user computing device 112 and/or other computing devices.
The UI 114 can be presented by or on a display, a touchscreen, a
monitor, a projector, and/or other display device.
[0076] From operation 312, the method 300 proceeds to operation
314, wherein the computer system 102 receives an input via the one
or more overlay visualizations to perform an action. The input can
be to perform an action such as brushing, selection, filtering,
and/or comparison, as described in further detail above. From
operation 314, the method 300 proceeds to operation 316, wherein
the computer system 102 updates the one or more geospatial
visualizations in response to the input. For example, if the input
received by the computer system 102 at operation 314 is a brushing
action over a bar of bar chart included in the overlay
visualization, the data associated with the brushed over bar can be
emphasized on the geospatial visualization. In some embodiments,
one, some, or all of the geospatial visualizations are updated.
From operation 316, the method 300 proceeds to operation 318,
wherein the computer system 102 presents one or more updated
geospatial visualizations of the data. As explained above, a
geospatial visualization can be presented in or as a UI 114
presented at the user computing device 112 and/or other computing
devices. The UI 114 can be presented by or on a display, a
touchscreen, a monitor, a projector, and/or other display
device.
[0077] From operation 318, the method 300 proceeds to operation
320. The method 300 ends at operation 320.
[0078] Although not shown in FIG. 3, it should be understood that
the computer system 102 can receive an input via the one or more
geospatial visualizations to perform an action. The input can be to
perform an action such as, for example, brushing, selection,
filtering, and/or comparison. In response to receiving the input,
the computer system 102 can update the one or more overlay
visualizations and present the one or more updated overlay
visualizations. As such, the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3,
wherein the computer system 102 receives an input via the one or
more overlay visualizations is illustrative, and should not be
construed as being limiting in any way.
[0079] Turning now to FIG. 4, aspects of a method 400 for filtering
data via an overlay visualization that is linked to a geospatial
visualization will be described in detail. The method 400 begins at
operation 402, wherein the computer system 102 presents a
geospatial visualization of data, such as the spreadsheet data 118.
From operation 402, the method 400 proceeds to operation 404,
wherein the computer system 102 presents an overlay visualization
of the data. As explained above, the geospatial visualization and
the overlay visualization can be presented in or as a UI 114
presented at the user computing device 112 and/or other computing
devices. The UI 114 can be presented by or on a display, a
touchscreen, a monitor, a projector, and/or other display
device.
[0080] From operation 404, the method 400 proceeds to operation
406, wherein the computer system 102 receives an input via the
overlay visualization to filter the data. From operation 406, the
method 400 proceeds to operation 408, wherein the computer system
102 filters the data according to the input received at operation
406. From operation 408, the method 400 proceeds to operation 410,
wherein the computer system 102 presents the geospatial
visualization and the overlay visualization of the filtered
data.
[0081] From operation 410, the method 400 proceeds to operation
412, wherein the computer system 102 determines if an input to
further filter the data is received. If the computer system 102
does not receive an input to further filter the data, the method
400 proceeds to operation 414. The method 400 ends at operation
414.
[0082] If the computer system 102 receives an input to further
filter the data, the method 400 proceeds to operation 416, wherein
the computer system 102 further filters the data according to the
input. From operation 416, the method 400 proceeds to operation
418, wherein the computer system 102 presents the geospatial
visualization and the overlay visualization of the further filtered
data. The method 400 then returns to operation 412, wherein the
computer system 102 again determines if an input to further filter
the data is received. Operation 412, operation 416, and operation
418 can be repeated any number of times to accommodate the
application of any number of filters to the data. After no further
filter is to be applied, the method 400 ends at operation 414.
[0083] Although not shown in FIG. 4, it should be understood that
the computer system 102 can take additional actions to remove
previously applied filters. For example, after the filter is
applied at operation 408 or a further filter is applied at
operation 416, the computer system 102 can receive another input to
remove one or more previously applied filters. It is contemplated
that the computer system 102 can receive inputs to apply and remove
inputs any number of filters. As such, the illustrated embodiment
of FIG. 4, wherein the computer system 102 applies filters but does
not then remove filters is illustrative, and should not be
construed as being limiting in any way.
[0084] Turning now to FIG. 5, aspects of a method 500 for filtering
data via a geospatial visualization that is linked to an overlay
visualization will be described in detail. The method 500 begins at
operation 502, wherein the computer system 102 presents a
geospatial visualization of data, such as the spreadsheet data 118.
From operation 502, the method 500 proceeds to operation 504,
wherein the computer system 102 presents an overlay visualization
of the data. As explained above, the geospatial visualization and
the overlay visualization can be presented in or as a UI 114
presented at the user computing device 112 and/or other computing
devices. The UI 114 can be presented by or on a display, a
touchscreen, a monitor, a projector, and/or other display
device.
[0085] From operation 504, the method 500 proceeds to operation
506, wherein the computer system 102 receives an input via the
geospatial visualization to filter the data. From operation 506,
the method 500 proceeds to operation 508, wherein the computer
system 102 filters the data according to the input received at
operation 506. From operation 508, the method 500 proceeds to
operation 510, wherein the computer system 102 presents the
geospatial visualization and the overlay visualization of the
filtered data.
[0086] From operation 510, the method 500 proceeds to operation
512, wherein the computer system 102 determines if an input to
further filter the data is received. If the computer system 102
does not receive an input to further filter the data, the method
500 proceeds to operation 514. The method 500 ends at operation
514.
[0087] If the computer system 102 receives an input to further
filter the data, the method 500 proceeds to operation 516, wherein
the computer system 102 further filters the data according to the
input. From operation 516, the method 500 proceeds to operation
518, wherein the computer system 102 presents the geospatial
visualization and the overlay visualization of the further filtered
data. The method 500 then returns to operation 512, wherein the
computer system 102 again determines if an input to further filter
the data is received. Operation 512, operation 516, and operation
518 can be repeated any number of times to accommodate the
application of any number of filters to the data. After no further
filter is to be applied, the method 500 ends at operation 514.
[0088] Although not shown in FIG. 5, it should be understood that
the computer system 102 can take additional actions to remove
previously applied filters. For example, after the filter is
applied at operation 508 or a further filter is applied at
operation 516, the computer system 102 can receive another input to
remove one or more of the applied filters. It is contemplated that
the computer system 102 can receive inputs to apply and remove
inputs any number of filters. As such, the illustrated embodiment
of FIG. 5, wherein the computer system 102 applies filters but does
not then remove filters is illustrative and should not be construed
as being limiting in any way.
[0089] Turning now to FIGS. 6A-6C, UI diagrams showing various
aspects of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein for
facetted browsing will be described according to various
illustrative embodiments. FIG. 6A shows an illustrative screen
display 600A generated by a device such as the computer system 102
and/or the user computing device 112. In some embodiments, the
screen display 600A can correspond to the UI 114 displayed by the
user computing device 112, as shown in FIG. 1, though this is not
necessarily the case. It should be appreciated that the UI diagram
illustrated in FIG. 6A is illustrative of one contemplated example,
and therefore should not be construed as being limited in any
way.
[0090] As shown in FIG. 6A, the screen display 600A can include a
three-dimensional geospatial visualization ("geospatial
visualization") 602 and a two-dimensional overlay visualization
("overlay visualization") 604 of data such as the spreadsheet data
118 described herein. More particularly, the screen display 600A is
illustrated as displaying a globe with multiple data points
illustrated on the globe in their corresponding locations and/or
magnitudes as data points 606. The data points 606 are also
represented at least in part by the overlay visualization 604. The
geospatial visualization 602 and the overlay visualization 606 are
linked together so that interaction with the spreadsheet data 118
via the overlay visualization 606 is reflected on the geospatial
visualization 602, and vice versa. Because the spreadsheet data 118
can be illustrated in additional and/or alternative structures
other than the illustrated data points 606, it should be understood
that the illustrated example is illustrative.
[0091] The overlay visualization 604 can include a chart such as,
but not limited to, a column chart, line chart, pie chart, bar
chart, area chart, scatter plot, stock chart, surface chart,
doughnut chart, bubble chart, radar chart, histogram, any variation
thereof, any combination thereof, and/or the like. The overlay
visualization 64 can alternatively or additionally include one or
more GUI elements such as buttons tabs, scroll bars, icons, menus,
combinations thereof, and/or the like. In the illustrated
embodiment, the overlay visualization 604 includes a bar chart 608
and a UI control 610. The illustrated bar chart 608 includes a
plurality of bars, each of which can represent a portion of the
data points 604 shown on the geospatial visualization 602. The UI
control 610 can allow a user to access settings, properties,
controls, and/or other information regarding the geospatial
visualization 602 and the overlay visualization 604 via a
visualization component properties or settings bar ("settings bar")
612.
[0092] The settings bar 612 can be presented, for example, in
response to a user or other entity selecting the UI control 610.
The settings bar 612 is illustrated as displaying various
properties associated with the geospatial visualization 602 and the
overlay visualization 604 presented on the screen display 600A. As
shown in FIG. 6A, a user or other entity has selected an option 614
to filter and display the spreadsheet data 118 based upon
categories associated with the spreadsheet data 118. Each bar of
the bar chart 608 can represent a category. For example, the
spreadsheet data 118 might be drug arrest data within which there
are a plurality of categories that are each representative of a
type of drug. In this example, each bar of the bar chart 608 might
represent a type of drug. Other options such as "Zip", "State",
"Ticket ID", "Date", and "Time" are shown. These options can be
selected by a user or other entity to apply one or more filters to
the spreadsheet data 118. For example, a user might select time to
further filter the spreadsheet data 118 based upon time.
[0093] The settings bar 612 also includes overlay options 616. The
illustrated embodiment shows the overlay options 616 including a
show/hide overlay option 618, a show/hide overlay labels option
620, and an overlay type option 622. The show/hide overlay option
618 is shown in a selected state so that the overlay visualization
604 is presented on the screen display 600A. In an unselected
state, the show/hide overlay option 618 causes the overlay
visualization 604 to be hidden from the screen display 600A. It is
contemplated that other means to show/hide the overlay
visualization 604 may be used, including, for example, keyboard
shortcuts, touch gestures, speech recognition, or the selection of
other GUI elements (not shown).
[0094] The show/hide labels option 620 is shown in an unselected
state so that labels associated with the bar chart 608 are not
shown. In a selected state, the show/hide labels option 620 causes
labels to be shown within the overlay visualization 604. The labels
can provide additional details about the data represented in the
overlay visualization 604. For example, the labels may label the
axes of the bar chart 608 and/or provide additional details about
the data represented in the bars of the bar chart 608. It is
contemplated that other means to show/hide labels within the
overlay visualization 604 may be used, including, for example,
keyboard shortcuts, touch gestures, speech recognition, or the
selection of other GUI elements (not shown).
[0095] The overlay type option 622 allows a user or other entity to
select the type of chart or other visualization that is to be shown
within the overlay visualization 604. In the illustrated example, a
user has selected a bar chart overlay type, and the spreadsheet
data 118 is shown in the bar chart 608 as a result.
[0096] In the illustrated embodiment, the screen display 600A can
be presented on a touch-sensitive and/or multi-touch-sensitive
display associated with a device such as the computer system 102
and/or the user computing device 112. For purposes of illustration,
and not limitation, a user's finger 624 is illustrated proximate to
the screen display 600A as if about to initiate an interaction with
the screen display 600A. Because other input devices or structures
can be used in accordance with the concepts and technologies
disclosed herein, it should be understood that this embodiment is
illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any
way.
[0097] Referring now to FIG. 6B, a UI diagram showing additional
aspects of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein for
facetted browsing is described in detail. In particular, FIG. 6B
shows a screen display 600B generated by a device such as the
computer system 102 and/or the user computing device 112. In some
embodiments, the screen display 600B corresponds to one or more of
the UIs 114 shown in FIG. 1 and described above with reference to
FIGS. 1-6A. It should be appreciated that the UI diagram
illustrated in FIG. 6B is illustrative of one contemplated
embodiment, and therefore should not be construed as being limited
in any way.
[0098] In FIG. 6B, a user or other entity has selected or brushed
over a bar 626 of the bar chart 608. In response, the screen
display 600B shows the bar 626 in an emphasized state, which is
illustrated by the bar 626 having a different hatching pattern than
that of the other bars of the bar chart 608. A subset 628 of the
data points 606 is also shown in the same emphasized state to
convey to the user that the subset 628 is associated with the bar
626. In a similar manner, the user can brush over any of the other
bars to emphasize other subsets of the data points 606 on the
overlay visualization 604 and the geospatial visualization 602.
[0099] Turning now to FIG. 6C, a UI diagram showing additional
aspects of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein for
facetted browsing is described in detail. In particular, FIG. 6C
shows a screen display 600C generated by a device such as the
computer system 102 and/or the user computing device 112. In some
embodiments, the screen display 600C corresponds to one or more of
the UIs 114 shown in FIG. 1 and described above with reference to
FIGS. 1-6B. It should be appreciated that the UI diagram
illustrated in FIG. 6C is illustrative of one contemplated
embodiment, and therefore should not be construed as being limited
in any way.
[0100] In FIG. 6C, another way in which a user can select the
subset 628 is illustrated. In particular, the user's finger 624 is
positioned at a point 630, and another finger 632 is dragged
outward from the point 630 to define a radius of a circular area
632, thereby selecting and emphasizing each data point of the
subset 628. The bar 626 that is associated with the subset 628 of
data points is also emphasized. It should be appreciated that other
touch gestures, mouse inputs, speech inputs, or other inputs can be
used to provide similar functionality for the selection of at least
a portion of the data points 606 via the geospatial visualization
602.
[0101] FIG. 7 illustrates an illustrative computer architecture 700
for a device capable of executing the software components described
herein for facetted browsing. Thus, the computer architecture 700
illustrated in FIG. 7 illustrates an architecture for a server
computer, mobile phone, a PDA, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a
netbook computer, a tablet computer, and/or a laptop computer. The
computer architecture 700 may be utilized to execute any aspects of
the software components presented herein.
[0102] The computer architecture 700 illustrated in FIG. 7 includes
a central processing unit 702 ("CPU"), a system memory 704,
including a random access memory 706 ("RAM") and a read-only memory
("ROM") 708, and a system bus 710 that couples the memory 704 to
the CPU 702. A basic input/output system containing the basic
routines that help to transfer information between elements within
the computer architecture 700, such as during startup, is stored in
the ROM 708. The computer architecture 700 further includes a mass
storage device 712 for storing the operating system 107 and one or
more application programs including, but not limited to, the
spreadsheet application 108, the visualization component 110, other
application programs, or the like. Although not shown in FIG. 7,
the mass storage device 712 also can be configured to store the
spreadsheet data 118, the geographic mapping data 124, the map data
127, and/or graphical data corresponding to one or more of the UIs
114 described herein, if desired.
[0103] The mass storage device 712 is connected to the CPU 702
through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus
710. The mass storage device 712 and its associated
computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the
computer architecture 700. Although the description of
computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage
device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable
media can be any available computer storage media or communication
media that can be accessed by the computer architecture 700.
[0104] Communication media includes computer readable instructions,
data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data
signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and
includes any delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means
a signal that has one or more of its characteristics changed or set
in a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of
example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired
media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and
wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless
media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included
within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0105] By way of example, and not limitation, computer storage
media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and
non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data
structures, program modules or other data. For example, computer
media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM,
flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM,
digital versatile disks ("DVD"), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other optical
storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage
or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be
used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by
the computer architecture 700. For purposes of the claims, the
phrase "computer storage medium," and variations thereof, does not
include waves or signals per se and/or communication media.
[0106] According to various embodiments, the computer architecture
700 may operate in a networked environment using logical
connections to remote computers through a network such as the
network 104. The computer architecture 700 may connect to the
network 104 through a network interface unit 714 connected to the
bus 710. It should be appreciated that the network interface unit
714 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and
remote computer systems such as, for example, the data source 120,
the geocoding services 122, the map server 128, the user computing
device 112, and/or other systems or devices. The computer
architecture 700 also may include an input/output controller 716
for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices,
including a keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus (not shown in
FIG. 7). Similarly, the input/output controller 716 may provide
output to a display screen, a printer, or other type of output
device (also not shown in FIG. 7).
[0107] It should be appreciated that the software components
described herein may, when loaded into the CPU 702 and executed,
transform the CPU 702 and the overall computer architecture 700
from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose
computing system customized to facilitate the functionality
presented herein. The CPU 702 may be constructed from any number of
transistors or other discrete circuit elements, which may
individually or collectively assume any number of states. More
specifically, the CPU 702 may operate as a finite-state machine, in
response to executable instructions contained within the software
modules disclosed herein. These computer-executable instructions
may transform the CPU 702 by specifying how the CPU 702 transitions
between states, thereby transforming the transistors or other
discrete hardware elements constituting the CPU 702.
[0108] Encoding the software modules presented herein also may
transform the physical structure of the computer-readable media
presented herein. The specific transformation of physical structure
may depend on various factors, in different implementations of this
description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not
limited to, the technology used to implement the computer-readable
media, whether the computer-readable media is characterized as
primary or secondary storage, and the like. For example, if the
computer-readable media is implemented as semiconductor-based
memory, the software disclosed herein may be encoded on the
computer-readable media by transforming the physical state of the
semiconductor memory. For example, the software may transform the
state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit
elements constituting the semiconductor memory. The software also
may transform the physical state of such components in order to
store data thereupon.
[0109] As another example, the computer-readable media disclosed
herein may be implemented using magnetic or optical technology. In
such implementations, the software presented herein may transform
the physical state of magnetic or optical media, when the software
is encoded therein. These transformations may include altering the
magnetic characteristics of particular locations within given
magnetic media. These transformations also may include altering the
physical features or characteristics of particular locations within
given optical media, to change the optical characteristics of those
locations. Other transformations of physical media are possible
without departing from the scope and spirit of the present
description, with the foregoing examples provided only to
facilitate this discussion.
[0110] In light of the above, it should be appreciated that many
types of physical transformations take place in the computer
architecture 700 in order to store and execute the software
components presented herein. It also should be appreciated that the
computer architecture 700 may include other types of computing
devices, including hand-held computers, embedded computer systems,
personal digital assistants, and other types of computing devices
known to those skilled in the art. It is also contemplated that the
computer architecture 700 may not include all of the components
shown in FIG. 7, may include other components that are not
explicitly shown in FIG. 7, or may utilize an architecture
completely different than that shown in FIG. 7.
[0111] FIG. 8 illustrates an illustrative distributed computing
environment 800 capable of executing the software components
described herein for facetted browsing. Thus, the distributed
computing environment 800 illustrated in FIG. 8 can be used to
provide the functionality described herein with respect to the
computer system 102. The distributed computing environment 800 thus
may be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components
presented herein.
[0112] According to various implementations, the distributed
computing environment 800 includes a computing environment 802
operating on, in communication with, or as part of the network 804.
The network 804 also can include various access networks. According
to various implementations, the functionality of the network 804
can be provided by the network 104 illustrated in FIG. 1. One or
more client devices 806A-806N (hereinafter referred to collectively
and/or generically as "clients 806") can communicate with the
computing environment 802 via the network 804 and/or other
connections (not illustrated in FIG. 8). In the illustrated
embodiment, the clients 806 include a computing device 806A such as
a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or other computing device; a
slate or tablet computing device ("tablet computing device") 806B;
a mobile computing device 806C such as a mobile telephone, a smart
phone, or other mobile computing device; a server computer 806D;
and/or other devices 806N. It should be understood that any number
of clients 806 can communicate with the computing environment 802.
Two example computing architectures for the clients 806 are
illustrated and described herein with reference to FIGS. 7 and 9.
It should be understood that the illustrated clients 806 and
computing architectures illustrated and described herein are
illustrative, and should not be construed as being limited in any
way.
[0113] In the illustrated embodiment, the computing environment 802
includes application servers 808, data storage 810, and one or more
network interfaces 812. According to various implementations, the
functionality of the application servers 808 can be provided by one
or more server computers that are executing as part of, or in
communication with, the network 804. The application servers 808
can host various services, virtual machines, portals, and/or other
resources. In the illustrated embodiment, the application servers
808 host one or more virtual machines 814 for hosting applications
or other functionality. According to various implementations, the
virtual machines 814 host one or more applications and/or software
modules for providing the functionality described herein for
facetted browsing. It should be understood that this embodiment is
illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any
way. The application servers 808 also host or provide access to one
or more Web portals, link pages, Web sites, and/or other
information ("Web portals") 816.
[0114] According to various implementations, the application
servers 808 also include one or more mailbox services 818 and one
or more messaging services 820. The mailbox services 818 can
include electronic mail ("email") services. The mailbox services
818 also can include various personal information management
("PIM") services including, but not limited to, calendar services,
contact management services, collaboration services, and/or other
services. The messaging services 820 can include, but are not
limited to, instant messaging services, chat services, forum
services, and/or other communication services.
[0115] The application servers 808 also can include one or more
social networking services 822. The social networking services 822
can include various social networking services including, but not
limited to, services for sharing or posting status updates, instant
messages, links, photos, videos, and/or other information; services
for commenting or displaying interest in articles, products, blogs,
or other resources; and/or other services. In some embodiments, the
social networking services 822 are provided by or include the
FACEBOOK social networking service, the LINKEDIN professional
networking service, the MYSPACE social networking service, the
FOURSQUARE geographic networking service, the YAMMER office
colleague networking service, and the like. In other embodiments,
the social networking services 822 are provided by other services,
sites, and/or providers that may or may not explicitly be known as
social networking providers. For example, some web sites allow
users to interact with one another via email, chat services, and/or
other means during various activities and/or contexts such as
reading published articles, commenting on goods or services,
publishing, collaboration, gaming, and the like. Examples of such
services include, but are not limited to, the WINDOWS LIVE service
and the XBOX LIVE service from Microsoft Corporation in Redmond,
Wash. Other services are possible and are contemplated.
[0116] The social networking services 822 also can include
commenting, blogging, and/or microblogging services. Examples of
such services include, but are not limited to, the YELP commenting
service, the KUDZU review service, the OFFICETALK enterprise
microblogging service, the TWITTER messaging service, the GOOGLE
BUZZ service, and/or other services. It should be appreciated that
the above lists of services are not exhaustive and that numerous
additional and/or alternative social networking services 822 are
not mentioned herein for the sake of brevity. As such, the above
embodiments are illustrative, and should not be construed as being
limited in any way.
[0117] As shown in FIG. 8, the application servers 808 also can
host other services, applications, portals, and/or other resources
("other resources") 824. The other resources 824 can include, but
are not limited to, the geocoding services 122, the map server 128,
the data source 120, and/or other services and/or resources. It
thus can be appreciated that the computing environment 802 can
provide integration of the concepts and technologies disclosed
herein provided herein for facetted browsing with various mailbox,
messaging, social networking, and/or other services or resources.
For example, the concepts and technologies disclosed herein can
support sharing visualizations with social network users, mail
recipients, message recipients or the like. Similarly, users or
other entities can share visualizations and/or spreadsheet data 118
with social networking users, friends, connections, mail
recipients, systems or devices, combinations thereof, or the
like.
[0118] As mentioned above, the computing environment 802 can
include the data storage 810. According to various implementations,
the functionality of the data storage 810 is provided by one or
more databases operating on, or in communication with, the network
804. The functionality of the data storage 810 also can be provided
by one or more server computers configured to host data for the
computing environment 802. The data storage 810 can include, host,
or provide one or more real or virtual datastores 826A-826N
(hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as
"datastores 826"). The datastores 826 are configured to host data
used or created by the application servers 808 and/or other data.
Although not illustrated in FIG. 8, the datastores 826 also can
host or store the operating system 106, the spreadsheet application
108, the visualization component 110, graphics data corresponding
to one or more UIs 114, the spreadsheet data 118, the geographic
mapping data 124, the map data 126, combinations thereof, or the
like.
[0119] The computing environment 802 can communicate with, or be
accessed by, the network interfaces 812. The network interfaces 812
can include various types of network hardware and software for
supporting communications between two or more computing devices
including, but not limited to, the clients 806 and the application
servers 808. It should be appreciated that the network interfaces
812 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks
and/or computer systems.
[0120] It should be understood that the distributed computing
environment 800 described herein can provide any aspects of the
software elements described herein with any number of virtual
computing resources and/or other distributed computing
functionality that can be configured to execute any aspects of the
software components disclosed herein. According to various
implementations of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein,
the distributed computing environment 800 provides the software
functionality described herein as a service to the clients 806. It
should be understood that the clients 806 can include real or
virtual machines including, but not limited to, server computers,
web servers, personal computers, mobile computing devices, smart
phones, and/or other devices. As such, various embodiments of the
concepts and technologies disclosed herein enable any device
configured to access the distributed computing environment 800 to
utilize the functionality described herein for facetted
browsing.
[0121] Turning now to FIG. 9, an illustrative computing device
architecture 900 for a computing device that is capable of
executing various software components described herein for facetted
browsing. The computing device architecture 900 is applicable to
computing devices that facilitate mobile computing due, in part, to
form factor, wireless connectivity, and/or battery-powered
operation. In some embodiments, the computing devices include, but
are not limited to, mobile telephones, tablet devices, slate
devices, portable video game devices, and the like. Moreover, the
computing device architecture 900 is applicable to any of the
clients 906 shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, aspects of the computing
device architecture 900 may be applicable to traditional desktop
computers, portable computers (e.g., laptops, notebooks,
ultra-portables, and netbooks), server computers, and other
computer systems, such as described herein with reference to FIG.
7. For example, the single touch and multi-touch aspects disclosed
herein below may be applied to desktop computers that utilize a
touchscreen or some other touch-enabled device, such as a
touch-enabled track pad or touch-enabled mouse.
[0122] The computing device architecture 900 illustrated in FIG. 9
includes a processor 902, memory components 904, network
connectivity components 906, sensor components 908, input/output
components 910, and power components 912. In the illustrated
embodiment, the processor 902 is in communication with the memory
components 904, the network connectivity components 906, the sensor
components 908, the input/output ("I/O") components 910, and the
power components 912. Although no connections are shown between the
individuals components illustrated in FIG. 9, the components can
interact to carry out device functions. In some embodiments, the
components are arranged so as to communicate via one or more busses
(not shown).
[0123] The processor 902 includes a central processing unit ("CPU")
configured to process data, execute computer-executable
instructions of one or more application programs, and communicate
with other components of the computing device architecture 900 in
order to perform various functionality described herein. The
processor 902 may be utilized to execute aspects of the software
components presented herein and, particularly, those that utilize,
at least in part, a touch-enabled input.
[0124] In some embodiments, the processor 902 includes a graphics
processing unit ("GPU") configured to accelerate operations
performed by the CPU, including, but not limited to, operations
performed by executing general-purpose scientific and engineering
computing applications, as well as graphics-intensive computing
applications such as high resolution video (e.g., 720p, 1090p, and
greater), video games, three-dimensional modeling applications, and
the like. In some embodiments, the processor 902 is configured to
communicate with a discrete GPU (not shown). In any case, the CPU
and GPU may be configured in accordance with a co-processing
CPU/GPU computing model, wherein the sequential part of an
application executes on the CPU and the computationally-intensive
part is accelerated by the GPU.
[0125] In some embodiments, the processor 902 is, or is included
in, a system-on-chip ("SoC") along with one or more of the other
components described herein below. For example, the SoC may include
the processor 902, a GPU, one or more of the network connectivity
components 906, and one or more of the sensor components 908. In
some embodiments, the processor 902 is fabricated, in part,
utilizing a package-on-package ("PoP") integrated circuit packaging
technique. Moreover, the processor 902 may be a single core or
multi-core processor.
[0126] The processor 902 may be created in accordance with an ARM
architecture, available for license from ARM HOLDINGS of Cambridge,
United Kingdom. Alternatively, the processor 902 may be created in
accordance with an x96 architecture, such as is available from
INTEL CORPORATION of Mountain View, Calif. and others. In some
embodiments, the processor 902 is a SNAPDRAGON SoC, available from
QUALCOMM of San Diego, Calif., a TEGRA SoC, available from NVIDIA
of Santa Clara, Calif., a HUMMINGBIRD SoC, available from SAMSUNG
of Seoul, South Korea, an Open Multimedia Application Platform
("OMAP") SoC, available from TEXAS INSTRUMENTS of Dallas, Tex., a
customized version of any of the above SoCs, or a proprietary
SoC.
[0127] The memory components 904 include a random access memory
("RAM") 914, a read-only memory ("ROM") 916, an integrated storage
memory ("integrated storage") 918, and a removable storage memory
("removable storage") 920. In some embodiments, the RAM 914 or a
portion thereof, the ROM 916 or a portion thereof, and/or some
combination the RAM 914 and the ROM 916 is integrated in the
processor 902. In some embodiments, the ROM 916 is configured to
store a firmware, an operating system or a portion thereof (e.g.,
operating system kernel), and/or a bootloader to load an operating
system kernel from the integrated storage 918 or the removable
storage 920.
[0128] The integrated storage 918 can include a solid-state memory,
a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard
disk. The integrated storage 918 may be soldered or otherwise
connected to a logic board upon which the processor 902 and other
components described herein also may be connected. As such, the
integrated storage 918 is integrated in the computing device. The
integrated storage 918 is configured to store an operating system
or portions thereof, application programs, data, and other software
components described herein.
[0129] The removable storage 920 can include a solid-state memory,
a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard
disk. In some embodiments, the removable storage 920 is provided in
lieu of the integrated storage 918. In other embodiments, the
removable storage 920 is provided as additional optional storage.
In some embodiments, the removable storage 920 is logically
combined with the integrated storage 918 such that the total
available storage is made available and shown to a user as a total
combined capacity of the integrated storage 918 and the removable
storage 920.
[0130] The removable storage 920 is configured to be inserted into
a removable storage memory slot (not shown) or other mechanism by
which the removable storage 920 is inserted and secured to
facilitate a connection over which the removable storage 920 can
communicate with other components of the computing device, such as
the processor 902. The removable storage 920 may be embodied in
various memory card formats including, but not limited to, PC card,
CompactFlash card, memory stick, secure digital ("SD"), miniSD,
microSD, universal integrated circuit card ("UICC") (e.g., a
subscriber identity module ("SIM") or universal SIM ("USIM")), a
proprietary format, or the like.
[0131] It can be understood that one or more of the memory
components 904 can store an operating system. According to various
embodiments, the operating system includes, but is not limited to,
SYMBIAN OS from SYMBIAN LIMITED, WINDOWS MOBILE OS from Microsoft
Corporation of Redmond, Wash., WINDOWS PHONE OS from Microsoft
Corporation, WINDOWS from Microsoft Corporation, PALM WEBOS from
Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto, Calif., BLACKBERRY OS from
Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, IOS from
Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., and ANDROID OS from Google Inc. of
Mountain View, Calif. Other operating systems are contemplated.
[0132] The network connectivity components 906 include a wireless
wide area network component ("WWAN component") 922, a wireless
local area network component ("WLAN component") 924, and a wireless
personal area network component ("WPAN component") 926. The network
connectivity components 906 facilitate communications to and from a
network 928, which may be a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN. Although a
single network 928 is illustrated, the network connectivity
components 906 may facilitate simultaneous communication with
multiple networks. For example, the network connectivity components
906 may facilitate simultaneous communications with multiple
networks via one or more of a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN.
[0133] In some embodiments, the network 928 can correspond to the
network 104 and/or the network 704 illustrated and described in
FIGS. 1 and 6-7. In some other embodiments, the network 928 can
include the network 104 illustrated and described with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 6 and/or the network 704 illustrated and described in
FIG. 7. In yet other embodiments, the network 928 can provide
access to the network 104 illustrated and described with reference
to FIGS. 1 and 7 and/or the network 804 illustrated and described
in FIG. 8.
[0134] The network 928 may be a WWAN, such as a mobile
telecommunications network utilizing one or more mobile
telecommunications technologies to provide voice and/or data
services to a computing device utilizing the computing device
architecture 900 via the WWAN component 922. The mobile
telecommunications technologies can include, but are not limited
to, Global System for Mobile communications ("GSM"), Code Division
Multiple Access ("CDMA") ONE, CDMA2000, Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System ("UMTS"), Long Term Evolution ("LTE"),
and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ("WiMAX").
Moreover, the network 928 may utilize various channel access
methods (which may or may not be used by the aforementioned
standards) including, but not limited to, Time Division Multiple
Access ("TDMA"), Frequency Division Multiple Access ("FDMA"), CDMA,
wideband CDMA ("W-CDMA"), Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing ("OFDM"), Space Division Multiple Access ("SDMA"), and
the like. Data communications may be provided using General Packet
Radio Service ("GPRS"), Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution
("EDGE"), the High-Speed Packet Access ("HSPA") protocol family
including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access ("HSDPA"), Enhanced
Uplink ("EUL") or otherwise termed High-Speed Uplink Packet Access
("HSUPA"), Evolved HSPA ("HSPA+"), LTE, and various other current
and future wireless data access standards. The network 928 may be
configured to provide voice and/or data communications with any
combination of the above technologies. The network 928 may be
configured to or adapted to provide voice and/or data
communications in accordance with future generation
technologies.
[0135] In some embodiments, the WWAN component 922 is configured to
provide dual-multi-mode connectivity to the network 928. For
example, the WWAN component 922 may be configured to provide
connectivity to the network 928, wherein the network 928 provides
service via GSM and UMTS technologies, or via some other
combination of technologies. Alternatively, multiple WWAN
components 922 may be utilized to perform such functionality,
and/or provide additional functionality to support other
non-compatible technologies (i.e., incapable of being supported by
a single WWAN component). The WWAN component 922 may facilitate
similar connectivity to multiple networks (e.g., a UMTS network and
an LTE network).
[0136] The network 928 may be a WLAN operating in accordance with
one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
("IEEE") 902.11 standards, such as IEEE 902.11a, 902.11b, 902.11 g,
902.11n, and/or future 902.11 standard (referred to herein
collectively as WI-FI). Draft 902.11 standards are also
contemplated. In some embodiments, the WLAN is implemented
utilizing one or more wireless WI-FI access points. In some
embodiments, one or more of the wireless WI-FI access points are
another computing device with connectivity to a WWAN that are
functioning as a WI-FI hotspot. The WLAN component 924 is
configured to connect to the network 928 via the WI-FI access
points. Such connections may be secured via various encryption
technologies including, but not limited, WI-FI Protected Access
("WPA"), WPA2, Wired Equivalent Privacy ("WEP"), and the like.
[0137] The network 928 may be a WPAN operating in accordance with
Infrared Data Association ("IrDA"), BLUETOOTH, wireless Universal
Serial Bus ("USB"), Z-Wave, ZIGBEE, or some other short-range
wireless technology. In some embodiments, the WPAN component 926 is
configured to facilitate communications with other devices, such as
peripherals, computers, or other computing devices via the
WPAN.
[0138] The sensor components 908 include a magnetometer 930, an
ambient light sensor 932, a proximity sensor 934, an accelerometer
936, a gyroscope 938, and a Global Positioning System sensor ("GPS
sensor") 940. It is contemplated that other sensors, such as, but
not limited to, temperature sensors or shock detection sensors,
also may be incorporated in the computing device architecture
900.
[0139] The magnetometer 930 is configured to measure the strength
and direction of a magnetic field. In some embodiments the
magnetometer 930 provides measurements to a compass application
program stored within one of the memory components 904 in order to
provide a user with accurate directions in a frame of reference
including the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west.
Similar measurements may be provided to a navigation application
program that includes a compass component. Other uses of
measurements obtained by the magnetometer 930 are contemplated.
[0140] The ambient light sensor 932 is configured to measure
ambient light. In some embodiments, the ambient light sensor 932
provides measurements to an application program stored within one
the memory components 904 in order to automatically adjust the
brightness of a display (described below) to compensate for
low-light and high-light environments. Other uses of measurements
obtained by the ambient light sensor 932 are contemplated.
[0141] The proximity sensor 934 is configured to detect the
presence of an object or thing in proximity to the computing device
without direct contact. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor
934 detects the presence of a user's body (e.g., the user's face)
and provides this information to an application program stored
within one of the memory components 904 that utilizes the proximity
information to enable or disable some functionality of the
computing device. For example, a telephone application program may
automatically disable a touchscreen (described below) in response
to receiving the proximity information so that the user's face does
not inadvertently end a call or enable/disable other functionality
within the telephone application program during the call. Other
uses of proximity as detected by the proximity sensor 934 are
contemplated.
[0142] The accelerometer 936 is configured to measure proper
acceleration. In some embodiments, output from the accelerometer
936 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to
control some functionality of the application program. For example,
the application program may be a video game in which a character, a
portion thereof, or an object is moved or otherwise manipulated in
response to input received via the accelerometer 936. In some
embodiments, output from the accelerometer 936 is provided to an
application program for use in switching between landscape and
portrait modes, calculating coordinate acceleration, or detecting a
fall. Other uses of the accelerometer 936 are contemplated.
[0143] The gyroscope 938 is configured to measure and maintain
orientation. In some embodiments, output from the gyroscope 938 is
used by an application program as an input mechanism to control
some functionality of the application program. For example, the
gyroscope 938 can be used for accurate recognition of movement
within a three-dimensional environment of a video game application
or some other application. In some embodiments, an application
program utilizes output from the gyroscope 938 and the
accelerometer 936 to enhance control of some functionality of the
application program. Other uses of the gyroscope 938 are
contemplated.
[0144] The GPS sensor 940 is configured to receive signals from GPS
satellites for use in calculating a location. The location
calculated by the GPS sensor 940 may be used by any application
program that requires or benefits from location information. For
example, the location calculated by the GPS sensor 940 may be used
with a navigation application program to provide directions from
the location to a destination or directions from the destination to
the location. Moreover, the GPS sensor 940 may be used to provide
location information to an external location-based service, such as
E911 service. The GPS sensor 940 may obtain location information
generated via WI-FI, WIMAX, and/or cellular triangulation
techniques utilizing one or more of the network connectivity
components 906 to aid the GPS sensor 940 in obtaining a location
fix. The GPS sensor 940 may also be used in Assisted GPS ("A-GPS")
systems.
[0145] The I/O components 910 include a display 942, a touchscreen
944, a data I/O interface component ("data I/O") 946, an audio I/O
interface component ("audio I/O") 948, a video I/O interface
component ("video I/O") 950, and a camera 952. In some embodiments,
the display 942 and the touchscreen 944 are combined. In some
embodiments two or more of the data I/O component 946, the audio
I/O component 948, and the video I/O component 950 are combined.
The I/O components 910 may include discrete processors configured
to support the various interface described below, or may include
processing functionality built-in to the processor 902.
[0146] The display 942 is an output device configured to present
information in a visual form. In particular, the display 942 may
present graphical user interface ("GUI") elements, text, images,
video, notifications, virtual buttons, virtual keyboards, messaging
data, Internet content, device status, time, date, calendar data,
preferences, map information, location information, and any other
information that is capable of being presented in a visual form. In
some embodiments, the display 942 is a liquid crystal display
("LCD") utilizing any active or passive matrix technology and any
backlighting technology (if used). In some embodiments, the display
942 is an organic light emitting diode ("OLED") display. Other
display types are contemplated.
[0147] The touchscreen 944 is an input device configured to detect
the presence and location of a touch. The touchscreen 944 may be a
resistive touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a surface acoustic
wave touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, an optical imaging
touchscreen, a dispersive signal touchscreen, an acoustic pulse
recognition touchscreen, or may utilize any other touchscreen
technology. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 944 is
incorporated on top of the display 942 as a transparent layer to
enable a user to use one or more touches to interact with objects
or other information presented on the display 942. In other
embodiments, the touchscreen 944 is a touch pad incorporated on a
surface of the computing device that does not include the display
942. For example, the computing device may have a touchscreen
incorporated on top of the display 942 and a touch pad on a surface
opposite the display 942.
[0148] In some embodiments, the touchscreen 944 is a single-touch
touchscreen. In other embodiments, the touchscreen 944 is a
multi-touch touchscreen. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 944
is configured to detect discrete touches, single touch gestures,
and/or multi-touch gestures. These are collectively referred to
herein as gestures for convenience. Several gestures will now be
described. It should be understood that these gestures are
illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the
appended claims. Moreover, the described gestures, additional
gestures, and/or alternative gestures may be implemented in
software for use with the touchscreen 944. As such, a developer may
create gestures that are specific to a particular application
program.
[0149] In some embodiments, the touchscreen 944 supports a tap
gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 944 once on an item
presented on the display 942. The tap gesture may be used for
various reasons including, but not limited to, opening or launching
whatever the user taps. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 944
supports a double tap gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen
944 twice on an item presented on the display 942. The double tap
gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited
to, zooming in or zooming out in stages. In some embodiments, the
touchscreen 944 supports a tap and hold gesture in which a user
taps the touchscreen 944 and maintains contact for at least a
pre-defined time. The tap and hold gesture may be used for various
reasons including, but not limited to, opening a context-specific
menu.
[0150] In some embodiments, the touchscreen 944 supports a pan
gesture in which a user places a finger on the touchscreen 944 and
maintains contact with the touchscreen 944 while moving the finger
on the touchscreen 944. The pan gesture may be used for various
reasons including, but not limited to, moving through screens,
images, or menus at a controlled rate. Multiple finger pan gestures
are also contemplated. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 944
supports a flick gesture in which a user swipes a finger in the
direction the user wants the screen to move. The flick gesture may
be used for various reasons including, but not limited to,
scrolling horizontally or vertically through menus or pages. In
some embodiments, the touchscreen 944 supports a pinch and stretch
gesture in which a user makes a pinching motion with two fingers
(e.g., thumb and forefinger) on the touchscreen 944 or moves the
two fingers apart. The pinch and stretch gesture may be used for
various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming gradually in
or out of a website, map, or picture.
[0151] Although the above gestures have been described with
reference to the use one or more fingers for performing the
gestures, other appendages such as toes or objects such as styluses
may be used to interact with the touchscreen 944. As such, the
above gestures should be understood as being illustrative and
should not be construed as being limiting in any way.
[0152] The data I/O interface component 946 is configured to
facilitate input of data to the computing device and output of data
from the computing device. In some embodiments, the data I/O
interface component 946 includes a connector configured to provide
wired connectivity between the computing device and a computer
system, for example, for synchronization operation purposes. The
connector may be a proprietary connector or a standardized
connector such as USB, micro-USB, mini-USB, or the like. In some
embodiments, the connector is a dock connector for docking the
computing device with another device such as a docking station,
audio device (e.g., a digital music player), or video device.
[0153] The audio I/O interface component 948 is configured to
provide audio input and/or output capabilities to the computing
device. In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 946
includes a microphone configured to collect audio signals. In some
embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 946 includes a
headphone jack configured to provide connectivity for headphones or
other external speakers. In some embodiments, the audio interface
component 948 includes a speaker for the output of audio signals.
In some embodiments, the audio I/O interface component 946 includes
an optical audio cable out.
[0154] The video I/O interface component 950 is configured to
provide video input and/or output capabilities to the computing
device. In some embodiments, the video I/O interface component 950
includes a video connector configured to receive video as input
from another device (e.g., a video media player such as a DVD or
BLURAY player) or send video as output to another device (e.g., a
monitor, a television, or some other external display). In some
embodiments, the video I/O interface component 950 includes a
High-Definition Multimedia Interface ("HDMI"), mini-HDMI,
micro-HDMI, DisplayPort, or proprietary connector to input/output
video content. In some embodiments, the video I/O interface
component 950 or portions thereof is combined with the audio I/O
interface component 948 or portions thereof.
[0155] The camera 952 can be configured to capture still images
and/or video. The camera 952 may utilize a charge coupled device
("CCD") or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor ("CMOS") image
sensor to capture images. In some embodiments, the camera 952
includes a flash to aid in taking pictures in low-light
environments. Settings for the camera 952 may be implemented as
hardware or software buttons.
[0156] Although not illustrated, one or more hardware buttons may
also be included in the computing device architecture 900. The
hardware buttons may be used for controlling some operational
aspect of the computing device. The hardware buttons may be
dedicated buttons or multi-use buttons. The hardware buttons may be
mechanical or sensor-based.
[0157] The illustrated power components 912 include one or more
batteries 954, which can be connected to a battery gauge 956. The
batteries 954 may be rechargeable or disposable. Rechargeable
battery types include, but are not limited to, lithium polymer,
lithium ion, nickel cadmium, and nickel metal hydride. Each of the
batteries 954 may be made of one or more cells.
[0158] The battery gauge 956 can be configured to measure battery
parameters such as current, voltage, and temperature. In some
embodiments, the battery gauge 956 is configured to measure the
effect of a battery's discharge rate, temperature, age and other
factors to predict remaining life within a certain percentage of
error. In some embodiments, the battery gauge 956 provides
measurements to an application program that is configured to
utilize the measurements to present useful power management data to
a user. Power management data may include one or more of a
percentage of battery used, a percentage of battery remaining, a
battery condition, a remaining time, a remaining capacity (e.g., in
watt hours), a current draw, and a voltage.
[0159] The power components 912 may also include a power connector,
which may be combined with one or more of the aforementioned I/O
components 910. The power components 912 may interface with an
external power system or charging equipment via a power I/O
component 944.
[0160] Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that
technologies for facetted browsing have been disclosed herein.
Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in
language specific to computer structural features, methodological
and transformative acts, specific computing machinery, and computer
readable media, it is to be understood that the invention defined
in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific
features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specific
features, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms of
implementing the claims.
[0161] The subject matter described above is provided by way of
illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various
modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter
described herein without following the example embodiments and
applications illustrated and described, and without departing from
the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set
forth in the following claims.
* * * * *