))TimeSearcher 2 is a research tool for visualizing time series with as many as ten variables for each time point. Users typically begin with an overview that allows them to zoom into time periods of interest. Then they can select individual time series, or use the TimeBox widget to select a group of time series that fall within a range of times and values. A powerful addition is the SearchBox that enables users to select a short period in an existing time series and search for similar patterns throughout the data. TimeSearcher 2 also allows users to select time series by their attribute values.
The main format to read time series data in TimeSearcher is called the tqd format. TimeSearcher only recognizes the tqd format as the data input format (To open a tqd file, select File->Open from the menu.). However, there are other formats defined, which can be converted to tqd format. They are called the civ format and the ci1 format. These formats are defined in the following subsections.
Helper definitions:
Once there is a file in civ format, to convert it to tqd format, use the "civ to tqd converter" in the "Tools" menu of TimeSearcher.
To see the example file of the GroceryStores dataset in civ format, click
here.
The civ data format specification is as follows: (Microsoft Excel column and row conventions are used to refer to cells.)
To see the example files of the GroceryStores dataset in ci1 format, click either apples_ci1 or oranges_ci1.
The common part between a time series dataset and an attribute dataset is the item names. They are used to associate the attributes in a compatible attribute dataset with items in a time series dataset. The first attribute in an attribute datasetis assumed to be the item names in the time series dataset that this attribute dataset is compatible with.
To see the example attribute file of the GroceryStores dataset in atr format, click here.
The atr data format specification is as follows: (Microsoft Excel column and row conventions are used to refer to cells.)
The user interface of TimeSearcher 2 has 4 major parts (see Figure 1):
Figure 1 The TimeSearcher 2 User Interface, Main Components
The graphical parts of the interface consists of overview + detail, where the overview is at the bottom (surrounded with red border) and the details part is the tab labeled as "Variables". This tab is called the Variables view and is the main part of the interface, where visual interactions occur. It consists of QueryPanels for each variable in the time series dataset that has been loaded. In Figure 1, the dataset has 3 variables, which are "Price", "Velocity", and "Acceleration". The number of variables is also visible on the toolbar and users can limit the variables on the display by using the combo box on the toolbar. In Figure 1, it is set to show all 3 of 3 variables. Users can change the order of the variables in the Variables view by using the combo boxes just above the QueryPanel that they wish to. Similary, the overview has also a combo box that allows the user to set the overview to the desired variable. In Figure 1, since there are 3 variables in the loaded dataset, there are 3 overviews to select from. In Figure 1, "Price" is selected.
The overview (at the bottom in Figure 1) has an orange box, which is
called the field of view box. It is resizable in length and moveable.
Users can drag either the left or right vertical side to resize the box.
To move the box in a horizontal direction without resizing, move the
mouse inside the box, and then click and drag to the desired direction.
The labels just above the vertical sides show the delimiting time points.
The field of view box determines the range of time points to be shown on the
Variables view. As soon as a resize or move operation of the overview
box is completed, the Variables view is updated to reflect the new
bounds.
The items list is a tabular view of items and the attributes of
each item when present. Attributes are optionally loaded. When there
are no attributes, the items list has only 1 column listing the item names.
When attributes are loaded, the first column is still the item names, which
is also regarded as the first attribute in the attribute dataset, and the
rest of the columns are the rest of the attributes.
There is at least one item selected at all times, which is highlighted
as blue in the items list. The corresponding graphical representations
of the selected item in the Variables view are simultaneously highlighted
as blue, too. Users can change the selected item by clicking on another
item in the items list. When a different item is selected, the Variables
view is also updated to remain consistent with the items list.
Users can change the selection also from the Variables view by
clicking on the time series they want to select. To enable users
see which item is going to be selected,
the time series that the mouse is over is highlighted as yellow. This
provides valueable feedback especially when the mouse is
not exactly over a time series but slightly off. There is a threshold
of tolerance and by being a little off,
it is still possible to select the nearest
time series, and hence the corresponding item in the dataset.
Multiple time series may be selected, in which case all selected
items will become blue (see Figure 2). By pressing and holding
CTRL key, clicking will make the new item to be selected without unselecting
the previous one(s). This is true for both in items list and in the variables
view. In items list, use SHIFT key to select ranges quickly:
select the first (last) item, press and hold
SHIFT, then select the last (first) item.
To select multiple ranges at once, use the CTRL key the same way.
If a selected item is clicked while CTRL is pressed, it becomes
unselected. Use CTRL to select/unselect items one by one. Use shift
to select ranges and simply select only one item to unselect all
selected ones.
Clicking on a column header sorts the attributes list
according to the attibute values in that column. Repetitive clicking
on a column header alternates between ascending and descending sort order.
In order to sort first according
to column A, and then B, first click column B, and then A. This generalizes
to more than two columns, as well. Column headers are rearrangeable: simply
drag and drop the column header in the desired place.
(If the order of the columns change in items list,
the new order will not be reflected for the
attribute names in the Attribute Statistics tab.)
The details list is the tabular view just above the items list
(see Figure 1). The time point line appears both
on the Variables view and on the overview, and corresponds to the highlighed
row in details list (see Figure 3). All three are synchronized, that is, the change in
one updates the views in the other two.
The details list shows the values of the selected item for each variable.
If there are more than one selected items, the details list has the values
of the topmost one in the items list. Using the time point line,
users can navigate over the values of an item.
The first column of the details list contains the time points, which
correspond to the x-axis values on Variables view. The header shows
how many time points this dataset contains (See Figure 4).
The TimeBox is a widget that is capable of filtering items.
The time series that remain within the vertical bounds of the TimeBox
for the complete horizontal duration are kept, and the rest are filtered out.
The time series for filtered items appear light gray on the screen
and they are removed from the items list (see Figure 5).
To create a TimeBox, click on the TimeBox icon on the toolbar (see Figure 5).
This will switch the mode of user interaction to "TimeBox creation" mode.
The first mouse click will determine the upper left corner of the TimeBox.
Without releasing the mouse, drag the mouse toward the lower right
corner of the TimeBox you want to create. The point where the mouse
is released becomes the lower right corner of the TimeBox.
As soon as the TimeBox is created the mode of user interaction
switches back to "Selection" mode automatically. (The "Selection" mode
is simply the default mode where the user can select curves by clicking
on them.)
To select a TimeBox, click in the middle of it. A TimeBox is selected
if and only if its handles appear. A selected TimeBox can be resized
and moved. Click and drag the appropriate handle to resize.
To move, click and drag in the middle of a TimeBox.
Users may have more than one TimeBox at a time. Simply create
another one. The logic of kept (not filtered out) items will be conjunctive.
In other words, only those items whose time series are kept by all
TimeBoxes will be kept and all the rest will be filtered out.
To resize and move multiple TimeBoxes at the same time,
select the TimeBoxes you would like to move or resize together.
Then, choose one and move or resize it. The other ones will
simultaneously be selected or moved.
When a TimeBox moves, the filtering is dynamic. In other words,
the filtering of items will be (partially) updated while the TimeBox is moving.
The update is partial because the dynamic update applies only to the
QueryPanel that the moving TimeBox is in. The other QueryPanels, the overview
and the items list are updated only after the move operation is complete,
that is, when the user terminates the drag operation via a mouse release.
TimeBoxes don't have to be in the same QueryPanel. Users may
create additional TimeBoxes in more than one QueryPanels.
The logic of filtering is still conjunctive.
To delete one or more TimeBox(es), select it/them
and press Delete key on the keyboard.
The items list shows only non-filtered items. The header of the first
column shows how many items are kept of all items (see Figure 6). For instance,
20/34 would indicate that the dataset contains 34 items and currently only
20 of them are kept and the remaining 14 are filtered out.
The SearchBox is a widget to find similar patterns in time series.
The SearchBox specifies the input pattern on an existing time series
by limiting the range of time points. The sub-series of the selected
time series that the SearchBox is put on becomes the pattern. In order
to perform search, select the SearchBox, adjust the tolerance, and
click on the SearchButton which appears below the SearchBox. Note that
the tolerance and the SearchButton only appear when the SearchBox is
selected (see Figure 7).
The creation, deletion, move and resize operation of SearchBoxes
are the same as the TimeBoxes. Please refer to the previous section
for the details.
The tolerance can be adjusted either by the mouse, or by pressing
+ and - keys on the keyboard. Search is performed when the SearchButton
is clicked. To perform dynamic search when the tolerance changes,
that is, search is performed for every change, use the Q and W keys on
the keyboard. Q and W will increase and decrease, respectively,
the tolerance by 1%.
The pattern search performed by the SearchBox has parameters. They
can be access by selecting Edit->Search Options from the menu,
which will open in another window (see Figure 8).
There are four transformations
that can be applied. They are applied when they are checked.
The transformations are linear trend removal, offset translation,
amplitude scaling, and noise reduction. There are two different
search algorithms: Envelope and Euclidean.
The default selections are offset translation and amplitude scaling
for transformations and Envelope for the search algorithm.
The following describes the effect of each transformation on
how the searching is done.
The following describes how the tolerance, and hence, how the search
results are effected by the choice of the algorithm.
When a search is performed, the starting time points of matches
are indicated by red triangles on the x axis. The pattern itself
is always a match,which is indicated by a green triangle (see Figure 9).
The matched subsequences are indicated with red color both on the QueryPanel
the search is performed and on the overview of the same variable.
Pattern search is performed among all non-filtered items
within the same variable. The search results will disappear when
the corresponding SearchBox is deleted. It is possible to have a
SearchBox on different QueryPanels. However, it is not possible
to see the results of more than one SearchBox on the same variable.
(As soon as the second SearchBox is selected, the results from the
first SearchBox will disappear.)
To set preferences, select Edit->Preferences from the menu.
There are 3 choices available regarding what dataset
to load when TimeSearcher starts: none, a dataset whose location is
specified, the last opened dataset. Note that this dataset is only
a time series dataset and doesn't consider loading attributes.
Another option is what the number of variables is going to
be when TimeSearcher starts. This can be set in the preferences
window as well.
Besides using TimeBoxes, there is one more way to filter items.
One can select the items and filter the rest by selecting
"Actions"->"Filter unselected" from the menu. To clear all the
effects of such actions, select "Edit"->"Undo filter unselected actions"
from the menu.
Besides this manual, quick reference help is available in TimeSearcher
under the Help menu. It is accessible via F1 key, as well.
In addition, it has a section "Known problems and how to avoid them"
that you may find useful to check.
5.2 The Items List, the Selected Item(s), and the Attributes
Figure 2 Multiple selections
5.3 The Details List and the Time Point Line
Figure 3 The time point line
Figure 4 Time points & values
5.4 TimeBoxes and Filtering
Figure 5 TimeBox, filtered and kept items
Figure 6 Item count on items list
5.5 SearchBoxes and Pattern Search
Figure 7 SearchBox
Figure 8 Search Options
Figure 9 Pattern search
6. Miscellaneous
6.1 Preferences
6.2 Alternative filtering options
6.3 Help inside TimeSearcher
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