Star Coordinates A Multi-dimensional Visualization Technique with Uniform Treatment of Dimensions
The Problem . . . Data typically viewed in 2D and 3D visualizations Mapping a given point to it’s corresponding data values becomes increasingly difficult Rotation provides assistance in 3D Star Coordinates is useful for dimensions greater than 3
Basic Idea Coordinate system based on axes positioned in a “star”, or circular pattern User’s are willing to sacrifice some information during initial analysis By sacrificing detail, underlying patterns in the data are revealed
Using the system Scaling changes contribution to resulting visualization Rotation induces correlation between data columns Modification of queries using rotation and scaling
Drawbacks Detail description sometimes obscured by data points Learning curve for operation
Conclusion Particularly useful for identifying “clustering” of data based on user defined queries Provides users with an initial interpretation of data