Every course on data structures is illustrated by diagrams of linked lists, binary trees, hash tables, etc. However, it is hard to illustrate the dynamic behaviour of data structures, especially on the large scale, without consuming either an inordinate amount of space in the course notes or an inordinate amount of time at the classroom board.
A computer-assisted data visualisation system allows quick and reliable display of data structures, under the control of the instructor or student. The instructor can use such a system to enliven lectures or tutorials. The student can use it to study the data structures in his/her own time.
It is relatively straightforward to design and implement such a system for specific data structures. The objective of this project, however, is to design and implement a portable data visualisation toolkit, a highly generic package that can be easily customised by an instructor to illustrate specific data structures. The project may build on ideas developed in a 1997-98 third-year project.
A good choice of programming language would be Java, whose object-orientedness supports the desired genericity.
Hardware: any workstation with a graphics screen.
Software: JDK or equivalent.