Remote access data visualisation system

Abstract

Using a World Wide Web browser having the capability of downloading software, a user can download data together with data visualization software. In a particular arrangement, the user can download traffic data from the call records of a network provider, in relation to particular network numbers. By downloading a data visualization software tool at the same time, the user can look almost in realtime at events on the network. This means a service provider, providing a service on the network can monitor the response to an advertising campaign for instance where a Freephone number has been launched.

1 . A remote data access system, comprising a data store accessible by means of a data access network, and a data browser for locating data in the store and downloading it over the network to a user station, wherein there is further provided data visualisation software for selecting and controlling presentation of the data, the data browser being adapted to download the data visualisation software over the network, and to run said software at the user station to select and control presentation of data downloaded from the data store.  
     
     
         2 . A system according to    claim 1    wherein the data visualisation software includes means for accessing the data store to download a set of data therefrom to the user station.  
     
     
         3 . A system according to either one of the preceding claims wherein the data store comprises data sets which are protected by an authentification procedure and the data visualisation software includes means for satisfying the authentification procedure in respect of at least one of said data sets.  
     
     
         4 . A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the data store comprises call records in respect of a communications network.  
     
     
         5 . A system according to    claim 3    wherein the communications network is a different network with respect to the data access network.  
     
     
         6 . A system according to claims  3  and  4  wherein the data sets each carry the call records for a respective service provider making services available over the communications network.  
     
     
         7 . A system according to    claim 4   , or to either one of claims  5  or  6  as dependent on    claim 4   , wherein said call records are updated at intervals of no more than twenty four hours such that the system is able to provide a near real-time view to the user station.  
     
     
         8 . A system according to any one of claims  4 ,  5 ,  6  or  7  wherein the communications network is provided with a billing system for outputting bills to users of the network, and the data store of the remote data access system comprises at least part of a call record store used to store and output call data to the billing system in respect of the communications network.  
     
     
         9 . A data visualisation system for enabling remote access by a user to a database, the user having a user station equipped with a browser capable of downloading and running software, the data visualisation system comprising: 
 i) a computer system provided with one or more modules of software for use in visualising data, and provided with means responsive to a request from the user station to output or copy one or more of said modules of software to the user station; and    ii) a database accessible by the user under the control of the computer system to output data to the user station, and comprising data stored in a form which can be queried by the one or more modules of software when downloaded together with the software to the user station;    the arrangement being such that data can be downloaded from the database to the user station, under control of the computer system in response to user inputs at the user station, the computer system also providing one or more of said modules of software to the user station, such that the user can visualise the data by means of said one or more modules at the user station.    
     
     
         10 . A system according to    claim 9    wherein the data comprises communications traffic data.  
     
     
         11 . A system according to either one of claims  9  or  10  wherein the one or more modules of software comprise data visualisation software for visualising communications traffic in a communications network.  
     
     
         12 . A system according to    claim 11    wherein the spatial distribution of the traffic in the network can be visualised.  
     
     
         13 . A system according to either one of claims  11  or  12  wherein the temporal distribution of the traffic data can be visualised.  
     
     
         14 . A system according to any one of    claims 11    to    13    wherein the data is arranged at least in part in data sets, each data set comprising traffic data accumulated over an interval of time.  
     
     
         15 . A system according to any one of    claims 11    to    14    wherein data to be downloaded to the user station relates to a common destination number, or set of numbers, in a communications network.  
     
     
         16 . A system according to any one of    claims 11    to    15    wherein the computer system also provides network management of a communications network and the data relates to traffic in that network.  
     
     
         17 . A system according to any one of    claims 11    to    16    wherein the computer system comprises means for processing the data prior to downloading to the user station so as to reduce the transmission capacity required for said downloading.  
     
     
         18 . A system according to any one of    claims 11    to    17    wherein the computer system is provided with means to authenticate a request by a user for data to be downloaded.  
     
     
         19 . A method of providing data visualisation to a remote user, of data stored in a database in a form which can be queried by a data visualisation software tool, which method comprises storing the data visualisation software tool in a computer system, receiving a request to the computer system from a remote user for the tool, authenticating the request and outputting or copying the tool to the user, receiving a request from the user for data from the database by means of the tool, accessing the database and providing the data to the user.  
     
     
         20 . A method according to    claim 19    wherein the data comprises communications traffic data in a network.  
     
     
         21 . A method according to    claim 20    wherein the network to which the data is relevant is used at least in part to transmit the data to the user station and the computer system provides network management of said network.  
     
     
         22 . A remote access data visualisation system comprising: 
 i) a communications network;    ii) access means for use in accessing a database;    iii) means for receiving a user request in relation to visualisation of data stored in the database; and    iv) a data visualisation software tool stored, when not in use by a user, in relation to the network so as to be downloadable over the network to a user location,    wherein the system is adapted to respond to a received user request in relation to data visualisation by downloading: 
 a) the data visualisation tool; and  
 b) location information for data for use by the tool in visualisation, to the user location.  
   
     
     
         23 . A system according to    claim 22    wherein the database holds traffic management statistics in relation to a communications network and the means for receiving a user request comprises means for reading an identifier for one or more telephone numbers of the network, the or each data visualisation tool downloaded in response to a request thereafter being enabled only to visualise traffic data in relation to the telephone number(s) identified in that request.