| Multi-dimensional data has been visualized in many ways and many of these visualizations are excellent for a particular set of data or set of tasks. However, we can think of these individual visualizations as point solutions in the problem space of potential visualization for multi-dimensional data. In this research I explore the interrelationships between two multi-dimensional visualizations, namely Parallel Coordinates and Star Glyphs, and investigate the possibilities of describing these visualizations formally. Through both graphical means and my linguistic formalism, I show that these two multi-dimensional visualizations are related and, in fact, belong to the same family of visualizations. This insight lets me develop Parallel Glyphs, a 3D integration of these two 2D visualizations, along with a suite of new interactive exploration techniques. The same linguistic formalism is used to specify Parallel Coordinates and Star Glyphs and is then used to build the morphology and syntax associated to Parallel Glyphs and its available interactions. |
