Visualizing time-dependent data with distortion portals (developerWorks)

developerWorks creates an SDL-enabled application that allows you to create distortion portals in sequential image frames to explore the relationship of data sets through time. "There are many ways to visualize data as snapshots, or sequential images showing trending and time progressions. Few options exist for exploring the relationships between data sets through time with an interactive interface. This article demonstrates code and techniques to create what I call "animated distortion portals" in the data to provide time-dependent visualizations of various parts of the image. Additionally, certain aspects of the code are presented that allow for effective visualization on slower-computing platforms without sacrificing usefulness. The code presented here will allow new insights into application-flow models and usage patterns by exploring various data sets and how they move through time."

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