Interactive visualization of spatiotemporal patterns using spirals on a geographical map

Abstract

Timelines are used as the basis for representing events over time. When they are combined with a geographical map, they show the spatiotemporal pattern of those events. This spatiotemporal line depicts temporal pattern of events with respect to their spatial attributes. To help users observe patterns with respect to different spatial viewpoints and periodical constraints, we propose an interactive visualization approach using a spirals-based technique. A spiral has a geometric shape that could help to reveal periodical patterns and the timeline is the best source for it. When the user wants to observe patterns with respect to different spatial viewpoints on the map and periodical constraints, the spatiotemporal line can be decomposed according to specified locations to browse patterns.