In big data analytics, advanced analytic techniques operate on big datasets aimed at complementing the role of traditional OLAP for decision making. To enable companies to take benefit of these techniques despite the lack of in-house technical skills, the H2020 TOREADOR Project adopts a model-driven architecture for streamlining analysis processes, from data preparation to their visualization. In this article, we propose a new approach named SkyViz focused on the visualization area, in particular on (1) how to specify the user’s objectives and describe the dataset to be visualized, (2) how to translate this specification into a platform-independent visualization type, and (3) how to concretely implement this visualization type on the target execution platform. To support step (1), we define a visualization context based on seven prioritizable coordinates for assessing the user’s objectives and conceptually describing the data to be visualized. To automate step (2), we propose a skyline-based technique that translates a visualization context into a set of most suitable visualization types. Finally, to automate step (3), we propose a skyline-based technique that, with reference to a specific platform, finds the best bindings between the columns of the dataset and the graphical coordinates used by the visualization type chosen by the user. SkyViz can be transparently extended to include more visualization types on one hand, more visualization coordinates on the other. The article is completed by an evaluation of SkyViz based on a case study excerpted from the pilot applications of the TOREADOR Project.

中文翻译：

---

在大数据分析中自动化数据可视化的模型驱动方法

在大数据分析中，高级分析技术对大数据集进行操作，旨在补充传统 OLAP 在决策中的作用。为了使公司能够在缺乏内部技术技能的情况下利用这些技术，H2020 TOREADOR 项目采用模型驱动的架构来简化从数据准备到可视化的分析过程。在本文中，我们提出了一种名为 SkyViz 的新方法，专注于可视化领域，特别是 (1) 如何指定用户的目标和描述要可视化的数据集，(2) 如何将此规范转换为平台无关的可视化类型，以及（3）如何在目标执行平台上具体实现这种可视化类型。为了支持步骤（1），我们基于七个可优先排序的坐标定义了一个可视化上下文，用于评估用户的目标并从概念上描述要可视化的数据。为了自动化步骤 (2)，我们提出了一种基于天际线的技术，将可视化上下文转换为一组最合适的可视化类型。最后，为了自动化步骤 (3)，我们提出了一种基于天际线的技术，该技术参考特定平台，找到数据集列与用户选择的可视化类型使用的图形坐标之间的最佳绑定。SkyViz 可以透明地扩展，一方面包含更多的可视化类型，另一方面包含更多的可视化坐标。本文是根据从 TOREADOR 项目的试点应用中摘录的案例研究对 SkyViz 的评估完成的。