WO2000043908A1 - Data selection system and method therefor - Google Patents
Data selection system and method therefor Download PDFInfo
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- WO2000043908A1 WO2000043908A1 PCT/GB2000/000046 GB0000046W WO0043908A1 WO 2000043908 A1 WO2000043908 A1 WO 2000043908A1 GB 0000046 W GB0000046 W GB 0000046W WO 0043908 A1 WO0043908 A1 WO 0043908A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F16/20—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of structured data, e.g. relational data
- G06F16/24—Querying
- G06F16/248—Presentation of query results
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F16/20—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of structured data, e.g. relational data
- G06F16/24—Querying
- G06F16/245—Query processing
- G06F16/2457—Query processing with adaptation to user needs
- G06F16/24578—Query processing with adaptation to user needs using ranking
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F16/20—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of structured data, e.g. relational data
- G06F16/26—Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S707/00—Data processing: database and file management or data structures
- Y10S707/912—Applications of a database
- Y10S707/95—Financial
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S707/00—Data processing: database and file management or data structures
- Y10S707/99931—Database or file accessing
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S707/00—Data processing: database and file management or data structures
- Y10S707/99931—Database or file accessing
- Y10S707/99937—Sorting
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S707/00—Data processing: database and file management or data structures
- Y10S707/99941—Database schema or data structure
- Y10S707/99944—Object-oriented database structure
- Y10S707/99945—Object-oriented database structure processing
Definitions
- This invention relates to a system and method for accessing data and in particular concerns a system and method for accessing large quantities of data stored in a computer based record system.
- Modern computer based record systems often contain large multi-dimensional databases which contain very large quantities of data. The utility of these systems often depends on the speed and accuracy with which selected data can be accessed in the database.
- Computer based data access systems capable of searching large databases and retrieving files and records according to one or more user defined parameters are known as are systems capable of searching and analysing data in such databases to provide statistical information about that data.
- data files or records are usually selected for retrieval or analysis on the basis of user defined logic parameters which relate to specific data fields in the data files or records being searched.
- User defined logic statements are also used to select data files or records in a similar way, that is to say, statements consisting of two or more user defined logic parameters in combination with a logic operand. In this way the data files or records are selected on a binary yes or no basis.
- the ability to identify patterns in large quantities of data can be of significant commercial benefit, particularly to a commercial organisation that generates a large quantity of customer related data on a regular basis.
- the call database of a large telecommunications company will contain valuable hidden information regarding groups of customers who have similar usage patterns etc. By identifying customers according to such patterns valuable customer information can be obtained and customer profiles developed.
- a problem associated with large computer databases is that it can be extremely difficult to identify hidden patterns in the data using data access systems of the above mentioned type.
- One reason for this is that a detailed understanding of complex mathematical logic and a knowledge of the database structure is usually required before a user can define the appropriate search parameters and statements to investigate possible patterns in the data.
- Another reason is that the crude binary selection process prevents the data files or records being selected on a more discriminatory basis, for example according to the extent that the data agrees or disagrees with the search parameter or statement.
- the selected data can be difficult to interpret when presented to the user, particularly when multiple field data files or records are concerned. There are a limited number of ways in which the selected data files or records can be presented including tables, lists, graphs, charts etc.
- data file relates to any group of data that can be linked together by a common parameter.
- a data file may comprise all the call data relating to a particular customer, for example.
- a method of selecting information stored in a data storage system comprising the steps of:- defining at least one sort statement; determining the value of a relevance parameter for each data file in the stored information in respect of the or each sort statement; defining at least one sort statement site on a display means, wherein a sort statement site represents a respective sort statement; representing the data files as elements on the display means; effecting movement of at least one element from an initial position on the display means towards one or more sort statement sites, the movement of respective elements being determined in accordance with the relevance parameter for their associated data files in respect of each statement so that differences in the data files cause the elements to move relative to one another, thereby to provide a visual indication of the data files being sorted; and selecting at least one data file according to the position on the display means of its respective element.
- each of the data files can be represented visually as an element moving on the display means. Patterns in the data are readily recognisable since each element moves in accordance with the relevance of the sort statements to the data file it represents. In this way differences between respective data files can be observed on the display means as relative movements between the respective elements. Thus, hidden patterns in the data are easily identified by observing groups of elements moving in a similar way on the display means.
- the selecting means allows these groups of elements to be selected so that the respective data files can be accessed and analysed.
- a major advantage of the method of the present invention is that the movement of the elements is determined by the relevance of the respective sort statements to the data files. In this way the data files are represented according to the extent they agree or disagree with the sort statements.
- a further advantage is that a plurality of sort statements can be applied to the data files simultaneously such that the elements move according to the effect of all the sort statements on the respective data files. This allows the user to create logic statements according to the position of the respective sort statements on the display means.
- said method further comprises the step of accessing data in a selected data file.
- the step of determining the value of the relevance parameter for each data file, for each sort statement is normalised. This is done by identifying the most relevant data file for each sort statement, assigning it a maximum relevance parameter value such as 100% and determining respective normalised values for the rest of the data files based on said maximum relevance parameter value. This enables the respective movements of the elements to be readily determined.
- the step of moving the elements may comprise the step of determining a movement vector for each element based on the magnitude of the normalised values of the respective data file and the direction of relevant sort parameter sites relative to the element. In this way the position of the sort statement sites affects the movement of the elements. Accordingly, the sort statement sites can be positioned to investigate any hidden pattern in the data records.
- the step of determining a movement vector for each element comprises the step of determining a component movement vector for the element in respect of each sort statement based on the magnitude of the respective normalised value of the respective data file for the sort statement and the direction of the respective sort statement site to that element, and summing the component movement vectors.
- the elements move in steps and a movement vector is determined for each step.
- the movement of the elements can be animated on the display means to provide improved visualisation of the data files being sorted.
- the elements follow a more accurate trajectory on the display means which provides for improved identification of patterns in the data files.
- the display means comprises an array of pixels and respective movement vectors determine which pixels respective elements are to be moved to in each step. This optimises the above mentioned advantages.
- the method further comprises the step of applying scaling factors to the respective movement vectors according to the respective positions of the elements on the display means. In this way the velocity of each element is further dependent on its position on the display means.
- the step of applying scaling factors comprises the step of selecting a scaling factor area distribution. Accordingly, different scaling factors may be applied to elements at different positions on the display means according to the area distribution selected. In this way an element may be made to speed up or slow down as it moves on the display means.
- the step of defining the or each sort statement comprises the step of displaying a list of available sort parameters on the display means and selecting a set of sort parameters from the list. In this way the data files can be sorted according to a pre-determined list of sort parameters.
- the step of defining the or each sort statement sites comprises the step of selecting a respective position on the display means which corresponds to a point on the circumference of a circle. This enables the movement vectors to be more readily determined.
- the initial position of the elements is defined at the centre of the circle.
- the elements may be moved from an initial position which is equi-distant from all sort parameter sites.
- each element moves from its initial position towards a site which represents the most relevant sort statement for the respective data file.
- the method further comprises the step of storing selected data files. This allows the selected data records to be analysed further according to further sort statements and parameters.
- the method further comprises the step of preselecting at least one sub-class of data files to be sorted. This enables the number of data files to be reduced.
- the method further comprises the step of pre-formatting the data files to be sorted. This provides for a faster method and further optimises the above mentioned advantages.
- a system for selecting information stored in a data storage system comprising:- a display means; a sort statement generator for generating at least one sort statement; a position generator for positioning one or more sort statement sites on the display means; a data processor for determining the value of a relevance parameter for each data file in the stored information in respect of the or each sort statement; a visual signal processor for representing the data files as elements on the display means and for simulating movement of at least one element from an initial position on the display means towards one or more sort statement sites in accordance with the relevance parameter for the associated data file in respect of the or each sort statement so that differences in the data files cause the elements to move relative to one another and provide a visual indication of the data files being sorted; and a data selector for selecting at least one data file according to the position on the display means of its respective element.
- Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing part of a client-server arrangement for the system of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a client-server network for implementing the present invention
- Figure 3 is a flow chart of a data access method according to an embodiment of the invention.
- Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a display means displaying a user interface for use with the present invention
- Figure 5 is a schematic view similar to Figure 4 showing an initial position of unsorted data elements on the display means
- Figure 6 is a schematic view similar to Figure 4 showing the elements in a partially sorted position.
- a system embodying the present invention comprises a client-server communication network arrangement 1 50.
- a server 1 52 is connected to a plurality of client terminals 1 56 in the network by means of a plurality of data links 1 58.
- the client terminals are conventional computer systems provided with display means in the form of a screen 1 60.
- the client terminals are personal computers (PCs) capable of being networked together in a client-server environment.
- the server 1 52 has a data link 162 to a main network connection 1 64 which is linked to a read only database 166.
- the database 1 66 is a call database of a large telecommunications company and contains all the call records of a group of customers for a given accounting period.
- a further database 1 68 comprises data from the database 1 66 which has been restructured by the server 1 52, or other processor means, into a series of customer related files for use in the method of the present invention.
- the server comprises a plurality of processors 1 70, a read only database 172 storing user interface data, a read only database 1 74 storing data relating to system operation and user options and a read/write database 1 76 for storing user defined data.
- the data held in database 1 72 comprises data relating to the user interface used for presenting information to the user on the display means of the client terminal 156. This data comprises the definition of the screen layout, data relating to the presentation of user options and data relating to all user interface functions including data identification, selection and access for example.
- the data held in the database 174 comprises data relating to user selection options including the sort parameters available to be used in data sorting and selection, scaling factors and the like for use in a visual presentation and data filter parameters available to reduce the amount of data prior to sorting, for example.
- the database 1 76 stores data that has either been defined by the user such as sort statements comprising one or more of the parameters in database 174, or data that the user has selected for analysis, for example.
- the processors 1 70 comprise a first processor 180 which is capable of reading data from database 166 and restructuring the data into a series of customer files for subsequent use.
- the restructured data is stored in the database 168 by the processor 1 80.
- a second processor 182 provides a data filter. Data from the database 1 68 is filtered in processor 182 according to user defined filter parameters selected by the user of the system.
- the user defined filter parameters are stored in the database 176 following user selection and accessed by the processor 182.
- the filter data is stored in the database 1 68 by the processor 1 82.
- a third processor 184 in the form of a sort statement generator is provided for generating one or more sort statements, that is a sort statement comprising one or more sort parameters selected by the user from the sort parameter options in the database 174.
- the processor 184 stores the user defined sort statements in the database 176.
- a fourth processor 186 is provided for determining the value of a relevance parameter for each customer file in respect of each sort statement based on the relevance of the sort parameter to the customer file. In this respect processor 186 is capable of reading the post-filtered customer files from database 1 68 and storing the relevance values to the database 1 76.
- a fifth processor 188 comprises a position generator for establishing a position on the display means to be associated with each sort statement. The fifth processor receives data from the database 174 regarding the options the user may use in defining the positions. These options are available to the user through the user interface. The user also has the option of defining the position manually in which case selection of the positions is controlled by the processor 188.
- a sixth processor 190 provides a visual signal processor for representing the customer data files as elements on one or more pixels on the display means of the user's client terminal 156.
- the sixth processor is capable of receiving data from the fourth and fifth processors and moving the elements by a number of pixels towards one or more of the sites in order to visually represent the data files being sorted.
- the visual signal processor 190 has a motion pause function for pausing the motion of the elements on the display means and a zoom function for zooming in on a particular area of the display means.
- a seventh processor 192 comprises a data selector for user defined selection of customer data files according to the position of the elements on the display means. The data selector allows the user to select one or more records at a time for immediate access of the data or for storage in the database 176 for subsequent access.
- An eight processor 194 provides a data access processor for accessing the data selected by the user.
- the flow chart represents a data selection method according to an embodiment of the invention for identifying patterns in data held in a computer database.
- the method is implemented on the computer based system comprising a client-server network as described above.
- the call records comprise data fields relating to the time, duration, destination, type, cost, etc, of the call together with a field for a unique customer identification code.
- the customer identification code is provided for cross-referencing to a schedule in the database for identifying the customer making the call.
- the schedule includes customer details such as name, address, city, county, postal district, ISDN connection?, etc.
- step 10 in the flow chart the data held on the call record database is restructured into a series of much smaller customer files.
- the database is restructured so that each customer file includes static data comprising the customer data previously held in the customer schedule and transaction data comprising the call records for that customer.
- Step 10 is a pre-processing step for restructuring the data into a more appropriate format for use in the subsequent steps and is carried out independently of the end user. In this regard, step 10 is carried out independently of the steps which define the data access method of the present invention.
- step 1 2 the user is asked to define a data filter for reducing the amount of data to be processed.
- step 1 2 the user is presented with a menu of available options on the display means. The options relate to the fields in the customer schedule of the call database.
- This step enables sub-classes of customers to be selected. For example, if the user is only interested in accessing data relating to customers in a certain postal district the filter is defined according to the postal district of interest. At this stage the user can select as many sub-classes as desired.
- the appropriate customer files are selected in step 14.
- the user then defines a number of sort statements in step 1 6 for sorting the customer data into groups based on individual customer call patterns.
- the user is again presented with a menu of available options on the display means. These options relate to the fields in the customer schedule of the call database and the fields in the call record transaction data.
- the sort statements are defined according to the options selected by the user. Each sort statement comprises one or more sort parameters which relate to one or more of the data fields.
- a first sort statement may concern the number of calls a customer has made to a particular destination during certain hours of the day and of a certain duration
- a second sort statement may concern the number of calls to a different location in the same time period but of a longer duration
- a third statement may concern the total cost of calls in a given period
- a fourth statement may concern whether the customer has an ISDN connection.
- any number of sort statements can be defined using sort parameters relating to data in both the static and transactional data fields of the customer files.
- the relevance of the sort statements to each of the customer files is determined in step 20.
- the customer files are read from the memory and compared sequentially with the sort parameters in the processor.
- the comparison in step 20 depends on the structure of the sort parameter statements, that is to say whether the statements relate solely to the static data, the transactional data or both. If a sort statement relates solely to the static data the comparison is relatively straightforward since the sort parameters are compared on a binary basis with the static data of the file to determine whether the file is relevant or not to that statement. If the sort statement comprises parameters which relate to static data and parameters which relate to transactional data, the relevant static data of the file is first compared with the relevant static data sort parameters before the transaction data of the file is compared with the relevant transaction data sort parameters.
- each file is passed through a data filter to determine whether its static data complies with the static data sort parameters prior to comparison with the transactional data. If the static data of a file does not comply, further processing of the file is halted for that sort statement. If there is compliance or the sort statement consists exclusively of sort parameters which relate to the transactional data, the transactional data is compared with the transactional data sort parameters. This comparison involves counting the number of call records which comply with the transactional data sort parameters in the sort statement. The above process is repeated for each sort parameter statement for each customer file. Once all the files have been compared the value of a relevance parameter is determined for each data file in respect of each sort statement, that is the files are assigned values representing the relevance of the sort statements to respective the files.
- a sort statement comprises only sort parameters which relate to static data the value of the relevance parameter for the sort statement will be either 100% or 0%, that is yes or no. For example, if a sort statement were framed to ask the question "does the customer have an ISDN connection" the outcome would be either yes or no. If on the other hand the sort statement comprises sort parameters which relate to transactional data the value of the relevance parameter for the sort statement will have a value between 0% and 100%.
- the process of determining the value of the relevance parameter for a sort statement comprising transactional data sort parameters to a customer file involves the step of identifying the most relevant file for that sort statement, that is the file having the most records relevant to that statement, and then determining a normalised percentage value based on the number of records counted for the file and the number of records counted for the most relevant file. For example, if a sort statement is framed to ask the question "total number of calls under 3 minutes" and a file comprising 66 calls is found to be the most relevant a file comprising 33 calls will have a relevance value of 50%. The most relevant file will have a value of 100% indicating that it is very strongly associated with the sort statement.
- the step of determining the value of the relevance parameter for a sort statement in respect of each file involves the step of determining a value based on the number of transactional records counted for the file and the total number of transactional records in the file. For example, if the sort statement is framed to ask the question "total number of calls under 3 minutes", a file comprising 33 calls of less than 3 minutes out of a total of 100 calls will have a relevance value of 33%.
- Patterns in the data are investigated by the user according to the method steps that follow.
- step 24 all or selected ones of the sort statements are visually represented on the display means.
- the sort parameters are allocated a respective site 100 on the display means corresponding to a point on the circumference of a circle 102.
- the positions of the respective sort statement sites are determined either interactively by the user or automatically by a position generator in the system, but in either case the positions are capable of being moved around the circumference by the user if desired.
- the sites are distinguished from each other by the use of different colours or shapes etc, which also relate the sites to their respective sort statements by means of a legend displayed on the display means.
- each of the customer files stored in step 22 is represented as an element 104 on the display means at an initial position 106 corresponding to a pixel or group of pixels at the centre of the circle.
- movement of the elements is effected by a user command in step 26.
- the elements move from the initial position 106 towards the sort parameter sites. Movement of the elements is determined according to the relevance of the selected sort statements to the respective customer files as determined in step 20, and the relative position of the sites to the elements. Differences in the data held on the customer files causes the elements to move relative to one another. In this way the user is presented with a visual indication of the customer files being sorted according to the sort statements defined in step 16.
- the sites can be considered as magnets attracting the elements.
- the elements are attracted to the sites according to the values determined in step 20 for the respective customer files in relation to the respective sort statements.
- an element representing a file that is strongly associated with one of the sort statements will appear to be strongly attracted to the site associated with that statement.
- an element's movement may be influenced by more than one of the sites such that differences in the data in the customer files cause the elements to move at different speeds and along different trajectories on the display means.
- the elements move in steps on the display means according to respective resultant movement vectors determined for each movement step.
- Each element has a component movement vector associated with each site.
- the direction of the component movement vector corresponds to the direction of the site in relation to the element.
- the magnitude of the component movement vector corresponds to the value assigned in step 20 to the customer file represented by the element in relation to the sort statement represented by the site.
- a maximum movement per step representing a pre-determined number of pixels on the display means is associated with each of the sites such that the magnitude of the respective component vectors represent a corresponding number of pixels according to the respective percentage values assigned in step 20.
- the resultant movement vector of an element is the vector sum of the respective component movement vectors of the element.
- the resultant movement vector of an element determines the position on the display means the element is to be moved to in the movement step.
- the directions of the component vectors are determined from the new positions of the elements.
- the component movement vector of each element with respect to each site is determined according to the following considerations:- where the co-ordinates of the site are (X,Y); the co-ordinates of the element are (x,y); the value assigned to the element for the site in step 20 is A%; and the maximum movement of the element in one step is movement constant k;
- net resultant movement vector is the sum of movements due to all the sites.
- the elements continue to move until they come to rest either at a point of equilibrium where the component movement vectors balance or at a site the element is most strongly associated with, that is to say the site associated with the most relevant sort statement for the element as determined in 20.
- the actual movement of the elements in 26 is of more importance to the user than the final position of the elements. Since all the elements move simultaneously the system and method of the present invention allow the user to identify patterns in the data held on the database by identifying groups of elements which move together on the same or similar trajectories.
- the system is further provided with selection means so that the user can interactively select groups of elements in step 28.
- selection means are provided so that the elements can be selected either while they are moving or when movement is temporarily suspended on the display means by the user. Once an element or group of elements have been selected in step 28 the user is able to access the static and data relating to the transactional data in the customer files represented by the selected elements in step 30.
- one of the sort statements is defined in 1 6 to ask the question "percentage of calls to destination A”.
- This sort statement is visually represented at site 108 on the perimeter of the circle 102 in step 24.
- a second sort statement is defined to ask the question "percentage of calls to destination B”.
- This statement is visually represented at site 1 10.
- a third statement is defined to ask the question "percentage ISDN calls”.
- This sort statement is visually represented at site 1 12.
- the sort statements sites 108, 1 10 and 1 1 2 are equally spaced about the circumference of the circle.
- a first element 1 14 represents a customer file comprising transaction data comprising 25% of calls to destination A, 0% of calls to destination B and 0% of calls by ISDN. Element 1 14 thus moves towards the sort statement site at 108 at a rate of 25% of the predetermined maximum number of pixels per step.
- a second element 1 16 represents a customer file comprising transaction data comprising 50% of calls to destination A, 25 % of calls to destination B and 0% by ISDN.
- element 1 16 is simultaneously attracted to site 108 at a rate of 50% of the maximum number of pixels per step and to site 1 10 at a rate of 25% of the maximum number of pixels per step.
- a third element 1 1 8 represents a customer file comprising transaction data comprising 5 % of calls to destination A, 5% of calls to destination B and 100% of calls by ISDN.
- element 1 1 8 is simultaneously attracted to site 108 by 5%, to site 1 10 by 5% and to site 1 12 by 100%.
- a fourth element 1 20 represents a customer file comprising transaction data comprising 40% calls to destination A, 40% of calls to destination B and 0% calls by ISDN.
- Element 1 20 is thus attracted to sites 108 and 1 10 by equal amounts and moves on a trajectory which represents a locus equidistant from sites 108 and 1 10.
- element 1 20 will come to rest in a position indicated at 122 in Figure 6 which is mid way between the sites 108 and 1 10.
- a fifth element 1 24 represents a customer file comprising transaction data comprising 50% of calls to destination A, 50% of calls to destination B, and 50% of calls by ISDN.
- Element 1 24 is equally attracted to all three sites and since the sites are equally spaced, the resultant net movement vector is zero and therefore the element remains at the centre of the circle.
- the system further comprises a zoom function which allows a selected window 134 on the display means to be enlarged for visual enhancement and displayed on the display means as shown at 130.
- the window 1 34 is defined by the user moving a cursor over the display means and indicating the area of interest by selecting opposing corners of a rectangular area to be enlarged.
- Data in the selected data files is accessed either by being displayed on the display means at the time of selection in region 132, or is just identified and then stored for further sorting using a different set of sort statements or using the same sort statements but using different relative positions on the circle for the respective sites.
- the system of the present invention allows the sites to be re-positioned and sort statements added or de-selected by the user even when the data is being processed and the elements are being moved in step 26. In this way, the user is able to control the visual sorting of the records if no discernible patterns emerge in the data at an early stage in the visual sorting process.
- the user is presented with a choice of scaling factors to be applied to the movement vectors for each movement step.
- the scaling factors relate the strength of attraction of a site to the distance of the respective elements from the site so that the elements appear to speed up as they approach the site. This type of scaling is analogous to the attraction of a magnet.
- the scaling factors define landscapes over the region of the display means, that is to say the scaling factors act as either positive or negative gradients with respect to the elements. In this way the speed of an element is affected by its position on the display means such that a positive gradient will cause the element to move slower and a negative gradient will cause the element to move faster.
- An example includes a landscape of scaling factors based on concentric contour lines positioned about the centre of the circle 102 which represent either a valley or hill type distribution for slowing down or speeding up the motion of the elements.
- the system preferably comprises a plurality of pre-defined scaling factor maps of the above sort for selection by the user.
- the method and system of the present invention allows data to be sorted and accessed in a manner which readily allows patterns to be identified, particularly in large quantities of data such as the call database described.
- the ability to position and reposition the sort statement sites allows complex analytical questions to be framed. By selectively positioning the sort statement sites relative to one another data can be sorted according to logic AND, OR or Exclusive OR (XOR) combinations of the sort statements.
- an element which moves rapidly to a site will occupy a position representing a logic XOR indicating that the data file is more strongly associated with that site; an element which is positioned between two sites will occupy a position representing a logic AND since the data file is equally attracted to both sites; and an element which remains substantially at the centre of the circle will be equally or NOT attracted to all the sites.
- the present invention is not limited to the above mentioned embodiments but also includes variations to these embodiments which would be readily apparent to the skilled addressee.
- the invention is not limited to accessing data in a call database. Indeed the invention is suitable for identifying patterns in any collection of data regardless of type or form.
- the order of the method steps concerning the step of defining the sort parameter sites and the step of determining the relevance of the sort parameters to the customer data files can be interchanged without departing from the scope of the invention.
- the step of displaying the elements can be interchanged with these steps without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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- Data Mining & Analysis (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Computational Linguistics (AREA)
- Information Retrieval, Db Structures And Fs Structures Therefor (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP00900249A EP1153353A1 (en) | 1999-01-19 | 2000-01-07 | Data selection system and method therefor |
CA002359216A CA2359216A1 (en) | 1999-01-19 | 2000-01-07 | Data selection system and method therefor |
AU19914/00A AU1991400A (en) | 1999-01-19 | 2000-01-07 | Data selection system and method therefor |
US09/869,150 US6947937B1 (en) | 1999-01-19 | 2000-01-07 | Data selection system and method therefor |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9901138.9 | 1999-01-19 | ||
GBGB9901138.9A GB9901138D0 (en) | 1999-01-19 | 1999-01-19 | Data selection system and method therefor |
EP99302928.9 | 1999-04-15 | ||
EP99302928 | 1999-04-15 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2000043908A1 true WO2000043908A1 (en) | 2000-07-27 |
Family
ID=26153467
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB2000/000046 WO2000043908A1 (en) | 1999-01-19 | 2000-01-07 | Data selection system and method therefor |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6947937B1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1153353A1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU1991400A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2359216A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2000043908A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2002054287A2 (en) * | 2001-01-05 | 2002-07-11 | Battelle Memorial Institute | Multi-query data visualization |
WO2013113078A1 (en) * | 2012-01-30 | 2013-08-08 | "Elido" Ad | Method for visualization, grouping, sorting and management of data objects through the realization of a movement graphically representing their level of relevance to defined criteria on a device display |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US7676032B2 (en) * | 2004-12-23 | 2010-03-09 | Sprint Communications Company L.P. | Method and system for determining maximum transactions within a communications network |
KR102076076B1 (en) * | 2013-10-11 | 2020-02-12 | (주)휴맥스 | Methods and apparatuses of representing content information using sectional notification methods |
US11282077B2 (en) | 2017-08-21 | 2022-03-22 | Walmart Apollo, Llc | Data comparison efficiency for real-time data processing, monitoring, and alerting |
WO2019055616A1 (en) * | 2017-09-13 | 2019-03-21 | Walmart Apollo, Llc | Systems and methods for real-time data processing, monitoring, and alerting |
Family Cites Families (10)
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US5241671C1 (en) * | 1989-10-26 | 2002-07-02 | Encyclopaedia Britannica Educa | Multimedia search system using a plurality of entry path means which indicate interrelatedness of information |
US5452350A (en) * | 1992-03-09 | 1995-09-19 | Advantis | Subscriber call routing processing system |
US5408654A (en) * | 1992-05-27 | 1995-04-18 | Cdb Software, Inc. | Method to reorganize an index file without sorting by changing the physical order of pages to match the logical order determined from the index structure |
US5666524A (en) * | 1994-08-31 | 1997-09-09 | Price Waterhouse Llp | Parallel processing system for traversing a transactional database |
US6154213A (en) * | 1997-05-30 | 2000-11-28 | Rennison; Earl F. | Immersive movement-based interaction with large complex information structures |
US6385301B1 (en) * | 1998-03-26 | 2002-05-07 | Bell Atlantic Services Network, Inc. | Data preparation for traffic track usage measurement |
US6509898B2 (en) * | 1998-04-17 | 2003-01-21 | Xerox Corporation | Usage based methods of traversing and displaying generalized graph structures |
US6369819B1 (en) * | 1998-04-17 | 2002-04-09 | Xerox Corporation | Methods for visualizing transformations among related series of graphs |
US6151595A (en) * | 1998-04-17 | 2000-11-21 | Xerox Corporation | Methods for interactive visualization of spreading activation using time tubes and disk trees |
US6664980B2 (en) * | 1999-02-26 | 2003-12-16 | Accenture Llp | Visual navigation utilizing web technology |
-
2000
- 2000-01-07 WO PCT/GB2000/000046 patent/WO2000043908A1/en active Application Filing
- 2000-01-07 EP EP00900249A patent/EP1153353A1/en not_active Ceased
- 2000-01-07 CA CA002359216A patent/CA2359216A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2000-01-07 US US09/869,150 patent/US6947937B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2000-01-07 AU AU19914/00A patent/AU1991400A/en not_active Abandoned
Non-Patent Citations (3)
Title |
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HEMMJE M ET AL: "LYBER WORLD - A VISUALIZATION USER INTERFACE SUPPORTING FULLTEXT RETRIEVAL", SIGIR '94, DUBLIN, JULY 3 - 6, 1994, no. CONF. 17, 3 July 1994 (1994-07-03), CROFT W B;VAN RIJSBERGEN C J (EDITORS), pages 249 - 259, XP000475325 * |
OLSEN K A ET AL: "VISUALIZATION OF A DOCUMENT COLLECTION: THE VIBE SYSTEM", INFORMATION PROCESSING & MANAGEMENT (INCORPORATING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY), vol. 29, no. 1, 1 January 1993 (1993-01-01), pages 69 - 81, XP000574984, ISSN: 0306-4573 * |
SPOERRI A: "INFOCRYSTAL: A VISUAL TOOL FOR INFORMATION RETRIEVAL", PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE ON VISUALIZATION, SAN JOSE, OCT. 25 - 29, 1993, 25 October 1993 (1993-10-25), INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS, pages 150 - 157, XP000475422, ISBN: 0-8186-3942-3 * |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2002054287A2 (en) * | 2001-01-05 | 2002-07-11 | Battelle Memorial Institute | Multi-query data visualization |
WO2002054287A3 (en) * | 2001-01-05 | 2002-09-12 | Battelle Memorial Institute | Multi-query data visualization |
WO2013113078A1 (en) * | 2012-01-30 | 2013-08-08 | "Elido" Ad | Method for visualization, grouping, sorting and management of data objects through the realization of a movement graphically representing their level of relevance to defined criteria on a device display |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2359216A1 (en) | 2000-07-27 |
EP1153353A1 (en) | 2001-11-14 |
AU1991400A (en) | 2000-08-07 |
US6947937B1 (en) | 2005-09-20 |
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