Visual analysis of dynamic data streams

Received: 11 March 2009 Revised: 1 May 2009 Accepted: 8 May 2009 Abstract For scientific data visualizations, real-time data streams present many interesting challenges when compared to static data. Real-time data are dynamic, transient, high-volume and temporal. Effective visualizations need to be able to accommodate dynamic data behavior as well as abstract and present the data in ways that make sense to and are usable by humans. The Visual Content Analysis of Real-Time Data Streams project at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is researching and prototyping dynamic visualization techniques and tools to help facilitate human understanding and comprehension of high-volume, real-time data. The general strategy of the project is to develop and evolve visual contexts that will organize and orient high-volume dynamic data in conceptual and perceptive views. The goal is to allow users to quickly grasp dynamic data in forms that are intuitive and natural without requiring intensive training in the use of specific visualization or analysis tools andmethods. Thus far, the project has prototyped five different visualization prototypes that represent and convey dynamic data through human-recognizable contexts and paradigms such as hierarchies, relationships, time and geography. We describe the design considerations and unique features of these dynamic visualization prototypes as well as our findings in the exploration and evaluation of their use. Information Visualization (2009) 8, 212--229. doi:10.1057/ivs.2009.18