Systems, tools and methods for focus and context viewing of large collections of graphs

Abstract

Systems, tools, methods and computer readable media for visualizing a collection of graphs to provide context and focus. A compressed visualization is formed by compressing all of the graphs in a direction along a compression axis of the visualization. At least one of the compressed graphs may be zoomed to make a visualization of the at least one graph having a greater scale along the second axis than a scale of the compressed graphs. The zoomed graph or graphs may be displayed along with the compressed graphs, wherein the zoomed graph or graphs are displayed in a same order relative to the compressed graphs and each other as occupied prior to the zooming. A user interface for use in visualizing a collection of graphs in an overall view while at the same time providing the ability to view detail with regard to at least one of the graphs includes a display configured to visualize the collection of graphs in compressed form, and a feature for selecting a graph from the visualization of the compressed collection, wherein upon selecting a graph, the interface zooms at least the selected graph to make a visualization of at least the selected graph having a greater scale along an axis of compression of the compressed visualization than a scale of the compressed graphs along the axis of compression. The selected graph and any other zoomed graphs may be displayed in the same order that they occupied in the compressed visualization, relative to the graphs remaining compressed and each other.