QueryLines: approximate query for visual browsing

ABSTRACT

We introduce approximate query techniques for searching and analyzing two-dimensional data sets such as line or scatter plots. Our techniques allow users to explore a dataset by defining QueryLines: soft constraints and preferences for selecting and sorting a subset of the data. By using both preferences and soft constraints for query composition, we allow greater flexibility and expressiveness than previous visual query systems. When the user over-constrains a query, for example, a system using approximate techniques can display "near misses" to enable users to quickly and continuously refine queries.

REFERENCES

• 1: Rakesh Agrawal , Giuseppe Psaila , Edward L. Wimmers , Mohamed Zaït, Querying Shapes of Histories, Proceedings of the 21th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, p.502-514, September 11-15, 1995
• 2: Harry Hochheiser , Ben Shneiderman, Interactive graphical querying of time series and linear sequence data sets, 2003
• 3: D. Leigh et. al., "Exhaustive Generation and Visual Browsing for Radiation Patterns of Linear Array Antennas," Proc. of ISAP, Sendai, Japan, August 2004.
• 4: R. Spence, "Information Visualization," ACM Press, 2001.
• 5: Martin Wattenberg, Sketching a graph to query a time-series database, CHI '01 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems, March 31-April 05, 2001, Seattle, Washington [doi>10.1145/634067.634292]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
      H.3.3 Information Search and Retrieval
          Subjects: Query formulation; Information filtering

Keywords:
approximate query, visual query