Visualizing iSAX Indexes

In the previous chapter, we learned about comparing and joining iSAX indexes. However, it is still difficult to imagine the structure and the height of an iSAX index without seeing it as an image.

And although some people prefer text, some other people prefer log files, and some others prefer numbers, almost all people like good-looking and informative visualizations. Additionally, all people understand the importance of having a high-level view of their data. This includes iSAX indexes and tree structures in general, mainly because there is no other practical way to perform the same task, especially when working with big time series.

In Chapter 1, we saw how to visualize a time series. This chapter is all about visualizing iSAX indexes in order to get a better understanding of their size, shape, and structure.

Visualizing large structures and trees such as iSAX indexes is not a trivial process but of a trial-and-error one. As no single visualization...