The NYSE´s 3D Trading Floor

The 3D Trading Floor lets people use one of their strongest innate skills-spotting exceptions. A good visualization system leverages this ability by bringing exceptions to the fore. The model shows data on many different levels. Because it´s designed for the floor operations staff, as opposed to individual traders, it focuses on operational issues. So it depicts the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in an abstracted style that corresponds to the physical layout. It shows each of the 17 trading posts and each stock traded. In addition to this micro level of detail, an external, macro level provides live TV feeds, such as Bloomberg, CNN, or CNBC, overlaid on the walls of the stadium-like world. At an intermediate level, it shows the NYSE´s two data centers, local servers, and links between mainframes, servers, and trading posts. When something breaks, changes in colors, shapes, and motion pinpoint the problem area, as well as the probable causes and any downstream functions that are or may be lost