The program displays gait data using various techniques to allow the user to find "interesting" bits of the data (refs. 1, 2 below)
This applet runs with one built in data set and cannot accept other data over the web.
To run the program select File > Open. The initial screen appears. At the top is the menu bar. Help gives some insight into how the program works.
Below this is the button bar. The buttons are as follows:
Below this to the left is the analysis pane and to the right the graphs.
The analysis pane is the visualisation area where it is hoped that insight into the data can be found. Down the left are the various joints. Along the top are two types of event indicators:
The Joint / Event grid shows whether the corresponding graph is out of range at this point and if so whether it is high / low, early / late. The arrows indicate how high / low or early / late the event is. The "Arrow type" button displays the arrows in different forms. The "Cell values" button allows the values to be displayed next to the arrows.
The idea of this Joint / Event display is that it gives a quick overall look at the data. Any out of range data can be quickly spotted and homed in on. To help with this, clicking on an arrow gives a closeup of the graph, then the whole graph in the appropriate cell.
Graphs can be selected or deselected by clicking on the corresponding Joint icon.
Right clicking on items allows them to be added to the clipboard, to build up a report.
Clicking the Rules button under Advanced applies a set of rules to the data and reports the result both visually on the graphs and by text under the graph pane. These rules were produced by Gibbs (3) and whilst not intended to be definitive rules, they allow the technique of analysis by rule to be illustrated. Each rule picks up various features on the graphs, which are illustrated visually. The text explains the rules. This allows the user to gain immediate insight into the data.
Several of the rules suggest common conditions, such as Rectus Femoris is spastic. These common rules are put together as "Hypotheses". When the "Select Hypothesis" Run button is pressed, all the rules relating to the selected condition are run. Visual annotations appear on the graphs where the rules are met. Graphs where the rules are not met are not annotated. As a result, the suggested hypothesis can be quickly considered.
The aim of the visualisation is not to perform diagnosis, but to point the user quickly to possible areas of interest in the data. Given the amount of data available, this is of itself a valuable function.
References:
1. NOBLE, R. A. & WHITE, R. (2008) Reporting Clinical Gait Analysis Data, in User Centered Design for Medical Visualization, Ed. Feng Dong et. al., 2008, pp. 58 - 73. Published by Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global). ISBN 978-159904777-5. http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=7530&v=tableOfContents
2. NOBLE, R. A., WHITE, R. (2005) Visualisation of Gait Analysis Data. 9th Int. Conf. on Information Visualization 2005, pp. 247-252. 6 - 8 July, London, England. © IEEE. ISBN 0-7695-2397-8, ISSN 1550-6037
3. Gibbs S (2000) Guide to the Interpretation of Gait Deviations, The Dundee Royal Infirmary, Scotland, Gait Course 2000, 4th - 7th April, 2000.
Acknowledgement: This applet was coded by Richard Longair as part of his Honours Year student project.