Abstract:
Apparentia” is a web based visualization tool that will enable users to filter, view and compare data in an interactive and more efficient way. The motivation behind this project is to revamp the conventional filtering mechanisms like checkboxes, radio buttons, sliders etc. Shortlisting data using typical GUI elements compel the user to scroll a long list which is a frustrating process. Similarly, going through the details of data displayed in linear and textual format makes it potentially cumbersome to analyze it.
As an alternative, we decided to compose a filtering mechanism with aesthetically pleasing visuals because people understand and react to something pictorial faster than plain data. We have developed a compact wheel-like interactive visualization to sift data. The results are shown in the form of a scatter plot with customizable axes. The comparative visualization enables people to understand the differences at a glance which leads to efficient decision making. Although, the main focus of our project is to improve filtering techniques, but we have also displayed the details of each item in a very unique way by using 3D models and pictures.
Currently we have used two data sets i.e. smartphones and aircrafts to showcase our visualizations and have developed a whole system for it. In future it can be improved such that it can be integrated with any other system which requires filtering by taking data as input from the user.
