Spreadsheet-based Framework for Interactive 3D Visualization of Web Resources

Abstract

We propose a spreadsheet-based visualization framework for end-users to generate and modify multiple 3D visualizations of data-sets from various Web resources. In this paper, first, we provide a 3D component-based access mechanism to Web resources. It allows users to access various Web resources using only 3D visual components interactively. Second, we provide an interactive 3D visualization mechanism. It enables users to construct multiple 3D visualizations of data-sets from various Web resources just by combining 3D visual components. Third, we provide 2D components for communicating between a spreadsheet and 3D components. Users can export necessary functions of 3D components and define synchronization between these components and cells on a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet environment allows us to define relationships among cells, and copy these relationships through a copy and paste manipulation. By using these mechanisms, users can create multiple visualizations in parallel in order to compare different visualization results simultaneously for different visualization parameters just through a user's direct manipulation.