Visualizing and Monitoring Business Activity

In mainstream IT, it is key to acknowledge the inner workings of a company, as well as interactions among firms. Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) is a promising innovation that offers to deliver real-time inspection of business process activity. For this purpose, the authors propose that interactive graphical visualization tools supported by interoperable data exchange mechanisms, such as XML, will enable users to achieve a better degree of interaction and understanding when perceiving critical events and changes in business behavior. Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) may eventually allow for this to be modeled with a high level of realism, and in real-time, thus providing adequate BAM tools that depart from current number, and chart-like, simulators. A prototype tool is presented, and its future use is outlined. Key-Words: Business Activity Monitoring and Management, Visualization, Computer Graphics, XML