time-i-gram: A Grammar for Interactive Visualization of Time-based Data

The significance of considering temporal dimensions in data analysis and visualization holds critical value across a multitude of disciplines. Given the distinct nature of temporal data, encompassing multi-scale temporal analysis, comparative studies across various time periods, and the exploration of correlations between variables present unique challenges for visualization methodologies. The current landscape of data visualization grammars shows a noticeable deficiency in modeling advanced temporal characteristics with the required depth and flexibility. In response to this need, a novel time-based visualization grammar is introduced in this work. This contribution is significant in two major aspects: The first is the development of a grammar tailored specifically for time-based data visualization. This grammar meets a broad spectrum of analytical requirements. The second aspect involves the practical implementation of this grammar through the development of time-i-gram, a prototype that embodies the proposed grammar and facilitates the visualization of complex temporal data.