Fractal map: Fractal-based 2D expansion method for multi-scale high-dimensional data visualization

Abstract

Visualization of high-dimensional data is difficult to realize and manipulate with 2D display. For example, visualizing time-varying volume data (4D) with volume rendering and animation has spatial and temporal shielding, and data of 5 or more dimensions cannot be visualized on 2D display with existing methods. In this paper, we propose a method that expands high-dimensional data onto a 2D image plane. The proposed method uses the self-similarity of the fractal shape and achieves multi-scale high-dimensional data visualization on 2D display. With this method, we can visualize the entire domain of high-dimensional data without occlusions. Also, one-to-one correspondence in the elements of high-dimensional data and its 2D expansion enables us to manipulate high-dimensional data with 2D expanded result as an interface. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.