An Information Architecture to Support the Visualization of Personal Histories

Abstract

This paper proposes an information architecture for personal history data and describes how the data model can be extended to a runtime model for an intuitive visualization using graphical timelines. Our information architecture was developed for medical patient records, but is usable in other application domains such as juvenile justice or personal resumes. Our model of personal history data groups events into aggregates which are contained in facets (e.g. doctor visits, hospitalizations, or lab tests). Links enable representation of arbitrary relationships across events and aggregates. Data attributes such as severity can be mapped by data administrators to visual attributes such as color and line thickness. End users have powerful controls over the display contents and they can modify the mapping to fit their tasks.