Dynamic Visual Abstraction of Soccer Movement

D. Sacha, F. Al-Masoudi, M. Stein, T. Schreck, D. A. Keim, G. Andrienko, H. Janetzko
2017 Computer graphics forum (Print)  
Figure 1 : Abstracted movements are shown together with overviews on varying levels of abstraction. On the left, all attack turns of both teams with a shot on goal event of an entire soccer match are shown revealing the different attacking styles of the teams. On the right, several player trajectories are shown for a few seconds of movement revealing similarly moving groups on the soccer pitch. Abstract Trajectory-based visualization of coordinated movement data within a bounded area, such as
more » ... ayer and ball movement within a soccer pitch, can easily result in visual crossings, overplotting, and clutter. Trajectory abstraction can help to cope with these issues, but it is a challenging problem to select the right level of abstraction (LoA) for a given data set and analysis task. We present a novel dynamic approach that combines trajectory simplification and clustering techniques with the goal to support interpretation and understanding of movement patterns. Our technique provides smooth transitions between different abstraction types that can be computed dynamically and on-the-fly. This enables the analyst to effectively navigate and explore the space of possible abstractions in large trajectory data sets. Additionally, we provide a proof of concept for supporting the analyst in determining the LoA semi-automatically with a recommender system. Our approach is illustrated and evaluated by case studies, quantitative measures, and expert feedback. We further demonstrate that it allows analysts to solve a variety of analysis tasks in the domain of soccer.
doi:10.1111/cgf.13189 fatcat:h33icqxirvegjdzcdkc4a2naym