A web-based, run-time extensible architecture for interactive visualization and exploration of diverse data

Information visualizations must often be custom programmed to support complex user tasks and database schemas. This is an expensive and time consuming effort, even when general-purpose visualizations are utilized within the solution. This research introduces the Snap visualization server and system architecture that addresses limitations of previous Snap-Together Visualization research and satisfies the need for flexibility in information visualizations. An enhanced visualization model is presented that formalizes multiple-view visualization in terms of the relational data model. An extensible architecture is introduced that enables flexible construction and component integration. It allows the integration of diverse data, letting users spend less time massaging the data prior to visualization. The web-based server enables universal access, easy distribution, and the ability to intermix and exploit existing components. This web-based software architecture provides a strong foundation for future multiple-view visualization development.