Comparative visualization of numerical information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017091902-A1
Application number	US-201514864799-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2015
Publication date	Mar 30, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

For visualizing numerical information, a content is analyzed to identify the numerical information. From the content, a contextual information that is descriptive of the numerical information is selected. A graphical shape is selected to represent the numerical information. A dimension of the graphical shape is adjusted such that the adjusted dimension represents a value in the numerical information according to a scale. A comparison object is selected where a size associated with the comparison object is a fraction of the adjusted dimension according to a ratio. The comparison object is presented relative to the graphical shape as a visualization of the numerical information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for visualizing numerical information, the method comprising:
analyzing, using a processor and a memory, a content to identify the numerical information; selecting, from the content, a contextual information that is descriptive of the numerical information; selecting a graphical shape to represent the numerical information; adjusting a dimension of the graphical shape such that the adjusted dimension represents a value in the numerical information according to a scale; selecting a comparison object, wherein a size associated with the comparison object is a fraction of the adjusted dimension according to a ratio; and presenting, as a visualization of the numerical information, the comparison object relative to the graphical shape.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from an input interface, a change instruction; changing the visualization of the numerical information according to the change instruction.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining, responsive to analyzing the change instruction, that the comparison object has to be changed in the visualization; and replacing, as a part of the changing, the comparison object with a second comparison object.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
determining, responsive to the analyzing the change instruction, that the ratio has to be changed to a second ratio; and selecting the second comparison object, wherein a second size associated with the second comparison object is a fraction of the adjusted dimension according to the second ratio.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining, responsive to analyzing the change instruction, that the graphical shape has to be changed in the visualization; and replacing, as a part of the changing, the graphical shape with a second graphical shape.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
overlapping, as a part of the presenting, the comparison object and the graphical shape.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparison object comprises a graphical representation of a physical object, further comprising:
receiving the ratio as a preference input.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a location of a device; identifying an object located at the location; and using a view of the object from the device as the comparison object.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a locale setting of a device; identifying an object located in a region of the locale setting; and using a representation of the object in the region as the comparison object.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical shape is a non-geometrical shape and the dimension is an area of the graphical shape.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical shape represents a three-dimensional object.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical shape represents a non-geometrical object.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical shape represents a two-dimensional map.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a unit of measure associated with the numerical information; and using the unit of measure as the contextual information.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a type of an item described by the numerical information; and using the type of the item as the contextual information, wherein the type of the item appears within a specified word distance from the numerical information in the content.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the numerical information is one of a plurality of numerical information in the content, a second numerical information in the plurality being associated with a second contextual information in the content.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is embodied in a computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and executed by one or more processors.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is embodied in a computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and executed by the one or more processors.

19 . A computer program product for visualizing numerical information, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the stored program instructions comprising:
program instructions to analyze, using a processor and a memory, a content to identify the numerical information; program instructions to select, from the content, a contextual information that is descriptive of the numerical information; program instructions to select a graphical shape to represent the numerical information; program instructions to adjust a dimension of the graphical shape such that the adjusted dimension represents a value in the numerical information according to a scale; program instructions to select a comparison object, wherein a size associated with the comparison object is a fraction of the adjusted dimension according to a ratio; and program instructions to present, as a visualization of the numerical information, the comparison object relative to the graphical shape.

20 . A computer system for visualizing numerical information, the computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:
program instructions to analyze, using a processor and a memory, a content to identify the numerical information; program instructions to select, from the content, a contextual information that is descriptive of the numerical information; program instructions to select a graphical shape to represent the numerical information; program instructions to adjust a dimension of the graphical shape such that the adjusted dimension represents a value in the numerical information according to a scale; program instructions to select a comparison object, wherein a size associated with the comparison object is a fraction of the adjusted dimension according to a ratio; and program instructions to present, as a visualization of the numerical information, the comparison object relative to the graphical shape.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bostick James E
• Ganci Jr John M
• Rakshit Sarbajit K
• Trim Craig M

Classifications

• G06T11/26 Primary

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G06F40/279

  Recognition of textual entities · CPC title

• G06F40/18

  of spreadsheets (form-filling G06F40/174) · CPC title

• G06F3/04815

  Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object · CPC title

• G06T3/40 Primary

  Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting · CPC title