Visualization Datamodel

The ARES ecosystem includes a visualization layer that allows researchers to monitor experiment progress and telemetry in real-time via charts and indicators. The visualization datamodel defines how these widgets are configured, how they map to device data, and how they are persisted in the dashboard layout.

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Chart Styles: ChartStyle

ARES supports several different ways to represent data visually:

Style	Description
LINE / SPLINE	Time-series data plots for continuous readings.
AREA	Shaded area charts for cumulative or bounded data.
COLUMN	Bar charts for categorical or discrete comparisons.
GAUGE	Circular or linear gauges for real-time scalar values (e.g., pressure, voltage).
TEXT_INDICATOR	Large-format numeric or status text display.

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Widget Configuration: DeviceVisualizationConfig

Each chart or indicator on the ARES dashboard is defined by a DeviceVisualizationConfig. This includes the mapping to data sources, the visual style, and its physical position in the grid layout.

message DeviceVisualizationConfig {
    optional string unique_id = 1;
    repeated VisualizationPath paths = 3; // Source data mappings
    ChartStyle style = 4;
    
    // Refresh Logic
    int32 polling_rate = 5;            // Update frequency in ms
    int32 number_display_points = 6;   // Buffer size for time-series charts
    
    // UI Metadata
    bool show_data_labels = 7;
    bool show_markers = 8;
    string chart_title = 13;
    
    // GridStack Persistence (Layout)
    int32 grid_x = 9;  // Column position
    int32 grid_y = 10; // Row position
    int32 grid_w = 11; // Width
    int32 grid_h = 12; // Height
}

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Data Mapping: VisualizationPath

A VisualizationPath defines the exact link between a UI widget and a property on a physical device.

message VisualizationPath {
    string associated_device_id = 4; // Source device
    string path = 1;                 // Dot-notation path to a field (e.g., "Sensors.Temperature")
    AresDataType data_type = 2;      // The primitive type of the data
    bool is_plottable = 3;           // Hint for the UI if this is a numeric series
}

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Visualizer Capabilities

Just like Planners and Analyzers, custom Visualizers can be registered as adapters.

• VisualizerInfo: Basic identity, name, version, and connection URL.
• VisualizerCapabilities: Informs ARES of the settings schema (AresStructSchema) required to configure the visualizer (e.g., color palettes, axes limits, or smoothing factors).