Pixel-oriented Database Visualizations

Abstract

In this paper, we provide an overview of several pixel-oriented visualization techniques which have been developed over the last years to support an effective querying and exploration of large databases. Pixel-oriented techniques use each pixel of the display to visualize one data value and therefore allow the visualization of the largest amount of data possible. The techniques may be divided into query-independent techniques which directly visualize the data (or a certain portion of it) and query-dependent techniques which visualize the relevance of the data with respect to a specific query. An example for the class of query-independent techniques is the recursive pattern technique which is based on a generic recursive scheme generalizing a wide range of pixel-oriented arrangements for visualizing large databases. Examples for the class of query-dependent techniques are the generalized spiral and circle-segments techniques, which visualize the distances with respect to a database query and arrange the most relevant data items in the center of the display.