Adding a Data Visualization Tool to DEC FUSE

visualizing large sets of data. The design of the Data Visualizer tool was complete in March 1995, and the tool is scheduled for inclusion with the next major version of the DEC FUSE software. DEC FUSE is a programming environment for UNIX that provides an integrated suite of graphically oriented tools built on the commonly used UNIX programming tools. For more information on the DEC FUSE environment, see the paper “DEC FUSE: Building a Graphical Software Development Environment from UNIX Tools” in this issue.1 In this paper, we focus on the technology that was used in the data visualization tool and the process by which this tool was taken from an advanced development project to become a part of an existing product. We start with a discussion of the problems encountered when visualizing large sets of data, the various graphical techniques that are used to solve these problems, and the implementation of these techniques in a demonstration tool. We then describe the design of the final tool, its evolution from the prototype into a product, and its integration with the other DEC FUSE tools. We then give a functional overview of the tool and scenarios of how it can be used. We conclude with comments on the process from advanced development work into final product.