FromDaDY : From Data to Display
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What is FromDaDy?
FromDaDy is an accurate, powerful, quick and easy to use visualization software. It addresses technological issues to explore, filter and display huge heterogeneous datasets.
This software stems from innovative research and development in the HCI (Human Computer Interaction) and the InfoVis (Information Visualization) fields. FromDady is a collaborative work between ENAC and DSNA R&D.
ENAC / LII is a laboratory specialised in human-computer interaction (HCI) and its computing aspects. The lab has an active research partnership with DGAC/DSNA (the French air traffic control agency). DSNA / R&D department conducts studies, research and experiments in the ATC field. It collaborates with ENAC and other Universities within partnership conventions.
FromDaDy in one image : One day’s record of traffic over France
In the side image, the user chooses to display aircraft latitude, longitude and altitude.
The user creates connections between various fields of the data base (i.e. radar records) and the visualization axis.
The color gradient from green to blue represents the ascending altitude of the aircraft, green being the lowest and blue the highest altitude.
Thus, the French coastline is revealed here as a consequence of sightseeing in light aircraft and the straight blue lines represent high altitude flight routes.
To select a subset, the user takes advantages of the brushing technique.
The Brushing interaction allows to select graphical entities, using a size-configurable or shape-configurable area which is stuck to the mouse.
Each entity touched by the area during the mouse movement is selected.
How does FromDaDy work?
FromDaDy uses advanced GPGPU (General-Purpose Processing on Graphics Processing Units) techniques.
Thus, FromDaDy can display up to 5 million points in real time (framerates of over 20 FPS) with the current generation of computer and a modern graphics card.
From the present to the future
FromDaDy has already been used to extract specific recorded trajectories.
Some other potential uses could consist in displaying results of traffic optimization algorithms, in visualizing analysies of ground-air communication, business trajectories and much more.
While FromDaDy displays aircraft positions and their corresponding altitude, it can be customized to unveil manifold and unexpected information.
Working with traffic density
We develloped a set of interactions to enable exploration process with accumulation computation and brushing. The accumulation map generation technique allows users to interactively select various attributes for accumulation and select visual features to display the accumulation values. Additionally, the ability to choose different variables of accumulation enhances the flexibility of the application. We also use the selective brushing mechanism which is intuitive and also useful in the manipulation of accumulation maps and other kinds of visualizations. We designed a tool to interact with accumulation maps, by relying on common design principles: a small set of well-crafted combinable interactions. Users can customize accumulation maps (accumulation dimensions, accumulation kernel size), manipulate them with the “pick and drop” of trajectories or points, and configure the selective brush.
