XmdvTool: integrating multiple methods for visualizing multivariate data

Abstract

Much of the attention in visualization research has focussed on data rooted in physical phenomena, which is generally limited to three or four dimensions. However, many sources of data do not share this dimensional restriction. A critical problem in the analysis of such data is providing researchers with tools to gain insights into characteristics of the data, such as anomalies and patterns. Several visualization methods have been developed to address this problem, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. This paper describes a system named XmdvTool which integrates several of the most common methods for projecting multivariate data onto a two-dimensional screen. This integration allows users to explore their data in a variety of formats with ease. A view enhancement mechanism called an N-dimensional brush is also described. The brush allows users to gain insights into spatial relationships over N dimensions by highlighting data which falls within a user-specified subspace.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>