parallel coordinates: visual multidimensional geometry and its applications

ISBN-13: 9780387215075 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 554 str.

Alfred Inselberg

Opis

The breakthrough idea of parallel coordinates has enchanted many people with its cleverness and power. Al Inselberg, the source of that cleverness and power, ?nally shares the depth and breadth of his invention in this historically important book. I've been waiting impatiently for this exposition since I was captivated by Inselberg'slectureattheUniversityofMarylandin1979.Hehadalreadyunderstood the potential parallel coordinates has for generating insights into high-dimensional analysis and information visualization. In the following decades he polished the arguments, built effective software, and demonstrated value in important appli- tions. Nowabroadcommunityofreaderscanbene?tfromhisinsightsandeffective presentation. I believe that Inselberg's parallel coordinates is a transformational ideal that matches the importance of Rene Descartes' (1596-1650) invention of Cartesian coordinates. Just as Cartesian coordinates help us understand 2D and 3D geometry, parallel coordinates offer fresh ways of thinking about and proving theorems in higher-dimensional geometries. At the same time they will lead to more powerful tools for solving practical problems in a wide variety of applications. It is rare to encounter such a mind-shattering idea with such historic importance. While Inselberg's insight and exposition opens the door to many discoveries, there is much work to be done for generations of mathematicians, computer sci- tists, programmers, and domain experts who will need to build on these innovative ideas.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"Well done!"
-Stephen Hawking, Cambridge University

Parallel coordinates provide a means of visualizing geometric objects in many dimensions. They are particularly useful for displaying multivariate data and supporting multivariate analysis... This book is written as a textbook designed for use in a one semester course in applied mathematics or computer science... There are several applications discussed in the book. These include an extended example in air traffic control and collision avoidance, (where Inselberg's methods are used to display multiple flight trajectories), geometric modeling, computer vision, process control, statistics, automatic classification, and decision support. Inselberg is a very enthusiastic advocate of his methods and he has written a big book, bursting with ideas ... . Prerequisites for the book include some familiarity with linear algebra, a bit of basic multivariable calculus, and willingness to work through extended geometrical arguments.
-MAA Reviews

The book is very attractive visually, with enjoyable prose, rare historical references and splendid organization like the "fast track" and Interactive Learning Module (ILM).
Parallel Coordinates is the first in-depth, comprehensive book describing a geometrically beautiful and practically powerful approach to multidimensional data analysis. I can highly recommend this book to everyone concerned with data analysis and visualization problems.
The book is delightful.
-Bernd Hamann, Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Davis

For me the parallel coordinates method was only a visualization and presentation tool, with no impact on data understanding... Now this book, from the very same parallel coordinates inventor, has changed everything. Now I see how the method's solid geometric
foundation makes it both an ideal tool to understand high dimensional datasets and a source of novel ideas even for fields far from data analysis....there are few visualization techniques with so solid geometrical and mathematical foundations like parallel coordinates and
the book provides plenty of support to a broad spectrum of readers, from
the results-inclined analyst to the more theory-captivated academician.
-Ing. Mario Valle , Data Analysis and Visualization Group , Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS)
"This text provides a detailed mathematical treatment of parallel-coordinate geometry for mathematics students and similar readers, and the ... chapters are a course in parallel-coordinate geometry, as developed by Inselberg and his collaborators." (John Wilson, Engineering & Technology, February, 2010)

Spis treści

Foreword.- Preface.- Introduction.- Geometry Background.- The Plane with Parallel Coordinates.- Multidimensional Lines.- Hyperplanes and p-Flats RN.- Envelopes.- Curves.- Proximity of Lines, Planes, and Flats.- Hypersurfaces in RN.- Data Mining and Other Applications.- Recent Results.- Solutions to Selected Exercises.- Notation and List of Symbols.- Bibliography.- Index.

Blurb

This book is about visualization, systematically incorporating the fantastic human pattern recognition into the problem-solving process, and focusing on parallel coordinates. The barrier, imposed by our three-dimensional habitation and perceptual experience, has been breached by this innovative and versatile methodology. The accurate visualization of multidimensional problems and multivariate data unlocks insights into the role of dimensionality.
Beginning with an introductory chapter on geometry, the mathematical foundations are intuitively developed, interlaced with applications to data mining, information visualization, computer vision, geometric modeling, collision avoidance for air traffic and process-control. Many results appear for the first time. Multidimensional lines, planes, proximities, surfaces and their properties are unambiguously recognized (i.e. convexity viewed in any dimension) enabling powerful construction algorithms (for intersections, interior-points, linear-programming).
Key features of Parallel Coordinates:
* An easy-to-read self-contained chapter on data mining and information visualization
* Numerous exercises with solutions, from basic to advanced topics, course projects and research directions
* "Fast Track" markers throughout provide a quick grasp of essential material.
* Extensive bibliography, index, and a chapter containing a collection of recent results (i.e. visualizing large networks, complex-valued functions and more)
Parallel Coordinates requires only an elementary knowledge of linear algebra. It is well-suited for self-study and as a textbook (or companion) for courses on information visualization, data mining, mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, finance, management, manufacturing, in scientific disciplines and even the arts.