Filtergraph: A fast, intuitive, online data visualization system for large astronomy datasets
Abstract
We present Filtergraph as a web application designed to rapidly and intuitively visualize large datasets. The user loads a dataset in a variety of supported file types into Filtergraph, which automatically generates an interactive data portal that can be easily shared with others. From this portal, the user can immediately generate scatter plots of up to 5 dimensions as well as histograms and tables based on the dataset. Key features of the portal include intuitive controls with auto-completed variable names, the ability to filter the data in real time through user-specified criteria, the ability to select data by dragging on the screen, and the ability to perform arithmetic operations on the data in real time. To enable seamless data visualization and exploration, changes are quickly rendered on screen and visualizations can be exported as high quality graphics files or shared as simple URLs. The application is optimized for speed: for instance, a plot generated from a database of 3.1 million entries renders in less than 2 seconds on a standard web server platform, allowing rapid-fire exploration of massive datasets with little time cost. Filtergraph is free to use at http://filtergraph.vanderbilt.edu/.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #223
- Pub Date:
- January 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014AAS...22325305S