Visual analytics of multivariate session data using concentric rings with overlapping periods

1. A method of visual analytics for multivariate session data using concentric rings with overlapping periods, comprising:

displaying an interactive graph in a display, the interactive graph comprising:

at least a portion of multiple concentric rings where each one of at least some of the multiple concentric rings represents periodic time units;

the at least some of the multiple concentric rings are divided into cells where the cells represent smaller time periods than the time units;

a color of each of the cells representing a value of a metric, wherein the metric defines information regarding an observed audience; and

an overlapping period ring displayed with the multiple concentric rings where the overlapping period ring comprises segments that represent overlapping metrics from the cells of the concentric rings that correspond with the segments,

wherein displaying the interactive graph in the display comprises presenting the interactive graph with multiple interactive graphs, wherein the multiple interactive graphs display metrics associated with different demographics of individuals, and

wherein each of the multiple concentric rings represents a unit of time, wherein recency of the units of time represented by the concentric rings is proportional to how far away the concentric rings are spaced from an inner-most concentric ring.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a second metric in the segments of the overlapping period ring is represented with a brightness of the segments.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric is an average dwell time that individuals are observed in a setting.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the overlapping metric comprises an average number of individuals observed in a setting.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying additional metrics associated with one of the cells in response to user input.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising gathering data about the metric from a sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 , further said color of said cells is a background color when said value of said metric is zero.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a window in response to detection of a user's selection of one of the cells, the window comprising the additional metrics defining information about audiences that belong to a session defined by the time period of that cell.

9. A system of visual analytics for displaying multivariate session data using concentric rings with overlapping periods, comprising:

program instructions stored in memory that cause a processor to operate multiple engines;

a displaying engine to display an interactive graph in a display where the interactive graph comprises at least a portion of multiple concentric rings in a display where each one of at least some of the multiple concentric rings represent periodic time units and at least some multiple concentric rings are divided into cells where the cells represent smaller time periods than the time units;

a color engine to display a color in each of the cells to represent a value of a metric, wherein the metric defines information regarding an observed audience; and

an overlapping period engine to display at least some of an overlapping period ring with said multiple concentric rings where the overlapping period ring is divided in segments that represent overlapping metrics of the cells of the concentric rings that correspond with the segments,

wherein each of the multiple concentric rings represents a unit of time, wherein recency of the units of time represented by the concentric rings is proportional to how far away the concentric rings are spaced from an inner-most concentric ring.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a gathering engine to gather data about the metric from a sensor.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a determination engine to determine the metric based on the gathered data.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the overlapping period engine to further display a brightness to represent the overlapping metrics.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the overlapping period engine to further display overlapping metrics associated with the cells of the concentric rings in response to user interaction with the overlapping period ring.

14. A computer program product of visual analytics for displaying multivariate session data using concentric rings with overlapping periods, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising program instructions that, when executed, causes a processor to:

display an interactive graph in a display where the interactive graph comprises at least a portion of multiple concentric rings where each one of at least some of the multiple concentric rings represents periodic time units and at least some multiple concentric rings are divided into cells where the cells represent smaller time periods than the time units;

display a color in each cell to represent a value of a metric;

display at least some of an overlapping period ring with said multiple concentric rings where the overlapping period ring is divided in segments that represent overlapping metrics of the cells of the concentric rings that correspond with the segments; and

display additional summary metrics associated with the smaller time periods in response to user interaction with the overlapping period ring,

wherein displaying the interactive graph in the display comprises presenting the interactive graph with multiple interactive graphs, wherein the multiple interactive graphs display metrics associated with different demographics of individuals.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the value of the metric represents an average dwell time that individuals are observed in a setting and the overlapping metrics comprise an average number of individuals observed in the setting during a consistent time period across multiple time units.