Unfolding Edges: Adding Context to Edges in Multivariate Graph Visualization

Existing work on visualizing multivariate graphs is primarily concerned with representing the attributes of nodes. Even though edges are the constitutive elements of networks, there have been only few attempts to visualize attributes of edges. In this work, we focus on the critical importance of edg...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computer graphics forum Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 297 - 309
Main Authors: Bludau, M.‐J., Dörk, M., Tominski, C.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2023
Subjects:
CCS Concepts
Context
Graph drawings; Interaction design
Graph theory
Graphical representations
Graphs
Human‐centered computing → Visualization techniques
Multivariate analysis
Network analysis
ISSN:0167-7055, 1467-8659
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Existing work on visualizing multivariate graphs is primarily concerned with representing the attributes of nodes. Even though edges are the constitutive elements of networks, there have been only few attempts to visualize attributes of edges. In this work, we focus on the critical importance of edge attributes for interpreting network visualizations and building trust in the underlying data. We propose ‘unfolding of edges’ as an interactive approach to integrate multivariate edge attributes dynamically into existing node‐link diagrams. Unfolding edges is an in‐situ approach that gradually transforms basic links into detailed representations of the associated edge attributes. This approach extends focus+context, semantic zoom, and animated transitions for network visualizations to accommodate edge details on‐demand without cluttering the overall graph layout. We explore the design space for the unfolding of edges, which covers aspects of making space for the unfolding, of actually representing the edge context, and of navigating between edges. To demonstrate the utility of our approach, we present two case studies in the context of historical network analysis and computational social science. For these, web‐based prototypes were implemented based on which we conducted interviews with domain experts. The experts' feedback suggests that the proposed unfolding of edges is a useful tool for exploring rich edge information of multivariate graphs.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:0167-7055
1467-8659
DOI:10.1111/cgf.14831