Implementing Service Model Visualizations : Utilizing Hyperbolic Tree Structures for Visualizing Service Models in Telecommunication Networks

Abstract: This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of HyperSALmon, a Java™ open source prototype for visualizing service models in telecommunication networks. For efficient browsing and graphical monitoring of service models using SALmon, a service modeling language and a monitoring engine (Leijon et al., 2008), some kind of interactive GUI that implements a visualization of the service model is desired. This is what HyperSALmon is intended to do. The prototype has been designed in accordance with suggestions derived from a current research report of visualization techniques (Sehlstedt, 2008) appropriate for displaying service model data. In addition to these suggestions domain experts at Data Ductus Nord AB has expressed an urge for implementation of further features, some of their suggestions are deduced from research documents (Leijon et al., 2008; Wallin and Leijon, 2007, 2006), while others have been stated orally in direct relation to the prototype implementation work. The main visualization proposal is to use tree structures. Thus, both traditional tree structures and hyperbolic tree structures have been utilized, where the main navigation is set to occur in the hyperbolic tree view. In order to contribute further to this report I provide a discussion addressing problems related to the context of implementing a prototype for service model visualization using open source frameworks that meets the requirements set by the service model network architecture, the domain experts and the suggestions in the research report (Sehlstedt, 2008,page 51-52). Finally, I will present drawn conclusions of the attempted prototype implementation, illustrating potential strengths and weaknesses and consequently introduce suggestions for possible improvement and further development.