# Looking for example of displaying data in an animated / swarm - type way

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-example-of-displaying-data-in-an-animated-swarm-type-way/462860>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 9, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-example-of-displaying-data-in-an-animated-swarm-type-way/462860 "2008-09-09T23:04:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-example-of-displaying-data-in-an-animated-swarm-type-way/462860/1 "2008-09-09T23:04:46Z")

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A friend of mine was describing his idea for a new data display component, which would expand sections of data as your mouse neared them, making similar data appear. I think that such a control already exists, but I can’t find an example.

I want to call it a dynamic cloud or swarm or something, but it’s not helping. As an example, if you had a dictionary, and you mouse over G, then you’d see something like

```auto

                    
        get gone
dE F G H Ij
        gab gate
    gable gated

```

His idea involved changing the Z-axis of the data involved, but wouldn’t require that.

So… anyone seen something like this anywhere?

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**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-example-of-displaying-data-in-an-animated-swarm-type-way/462860/2 "2008-09-10T02:49:56Z")

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> [@Nanoda](#):
>
> So… anyone seen something like this anywhere?

I have seen, in the hurricane hunter overlays in Google Earth, something where if you mouse over a spot and two things are occupying it then they kind of “part” and move away from the mouse. Is that what you mean?

The other thing which this question reminds me of is that “dynamic desktop” someone had linked here once. You could riffle through folders and look at files graphically on the computer screen. Can’t remember what it was called, though.

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**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-example-of-displaying-data-in-an-animated-swarm-type-way/462860/3 "2008-09-10T03:42:18Z")

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You’re looking for this:

> **[Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus - An online thesaurus and dictionary of over...](https://www.visualthesaurus.com/)**
>
> An online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map. It's a tool for people who think visually. The most fun you've ever had with words. The Visual Thesaurus was built using Thinkmap, a data...