TreeMatrix: A Hybrid Visualization of Compound Graphs

We present a hybrid visualization technique for compound graphs (i.e. networks with a hierarchical clustering defined on the nodes) that combines the use of adjacency matrices, node‐link and arc diagrams to show the graph, and also combines the use of nested inclusion and icicle diagrams to show the hierarchical clustering. The graph visualized with our technique may have edges that are weighted and/or directed. We first explore the design space of visualizations of compound graphs and present a taxonomy of hybrid visualization techniques. We then present our prototype, which allows clusters (i.e. subtrees) of nodes to be grouped into matrices or split apart using a radial menu. We also demonstrate how our prototype can be used in the software engineering domain, and compare it to the commercial matrix‐based visualization tool Lattix using a qualitative user study.

[1]  Yehuda Koren,et al.  Topological fisheye views for visualizing large graphs , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

[2]  Jarke J. van Wijk,et al.  Visual Analysis of Multivariate State Transition Graphs , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

[3]  Michael Burch,et al.  Visualizing the Evolution of Compound Digraphs with TimeArcTrees , 2009, Comput. Graph. Forum.

[4]  M. Ashburner,et al.  Gene Ontology: tool for the unification of biology , 2000, Nature Genetics.

[5]  Günther F. Schrack,et al.  Certification of Algorithm 87: Permutation generator , 1962, CACM.

[6]  Kozo Sugiyama,et al.  Visualization of structural information: automatic drawing of compound digraphs , 1991, IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern..

[7]  Michael J. McGuffin,et al.  Quantifying the Space-Efficiency of 2D Graphical Representations of Trees , 2010, Inf. Vis..

[8]  Martin Wattenberg.  A note on space-filling visualizations and space-filling curves , 2005, IEEE Symposium on Information Visualization, 2005. INFOVIS 2005..

[9]  Jean-Daniel Fekete,et al.  Task taxonomy for graph visualization , 2006, BELIV '06.

[10]  Jean-Daniel Fekete,et al.  MatLink: Enhanced Matrix Visualization for Analyzing Social Networks , 2007, INTERACT.

[11]  Georg Sander,et al.  Layout of compound directed graphs , 1996 .

[12]  Mark H. Chignell,et al.  Elastic hierarchies: combining treemaps and node-link diagrams , 2005, IEEE Symposium on Information Visualization, 2005. INFOVIS 2005..

[13]  Ivan Herman,et al.  Graph Visualization and Navigation in Information Visualization: A Survey , 2000, IEEE Trans. Vis. Comput. Graph..

[14]  Daniel W. Archambault,et al.  The Readability of Path‐Preserving Clusterings of Graphs , 2010, Comput. Graph. Forum.

[15]  Zeqian Sheny,et al.  Path visualization for adjacency matrices , 2007 .

[16]  Jean-Daniel Fekete,et al.  Overlaying Graph Links on Treemaps , 2003 .

[17]  M. Weiser,et al.  An empirical comparison of pie vs. linear menus , 1988, CHI '88.

[18]  Michael Balzer,et al.  Level-of-detail visualization of clustered graph layouts , 2007, 2007 6th International Asia-Pacific Symposium on Visualization.

[19]  Jarke J. van Wijk,et al.  Squarified Treemaps , 2000, VisSym.

[20]  Yehuda Koren,et al.  Topological Fisheye Views for Visualizing Large Graphs , 2005, IEEE Trans. Vis. Comput. Graph..

[21]  Mary Shaw,et al.  An Introduction to Software Architecture , 1993, Advances in Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering.

[22]  Vineet Sinha,et al.  Using dependency models to manage complex software architecture , 2005, OOPSLA '05.

[23]  Daniel Jackson,et al.  Using dependency models to manage software architecture , 2005, OOPSLA '05.

[24]  Jeffrey Heer,et al.  prefuse: a toolkit for interactive information visualization , 2005, CHI.

[25]  William Buxton,et al.  The limits of expert performance using hierarchic marking menus , 1993, INTERCHI.

[26]  Guy Melançon,et al.  Multiscale visualization of small world networks , 2003, IEEE Symposium on Information Visualization 2003 (IEEE Cat. No.03TH8714).

[27]  Michael J. McGuffin,et al.  Quantifying the Space-Efficiency of 2D Graphical Representations of Trees , 2010, Inf. Vis..

[28]  Nathalie Henry,et al.  Exploring large social networks with matrix-based representations , 2008 .

[29]  Hans-Joerg Schulz,et al.  A Visual Survey of Tree Visualization , 2010 .

[30]  David Harel,et al.  On visual formalisms , 1988, CACM.

[31]  Erkki Mäkinen,et al.  Reordering the Reorderable Matrix as an Algorithmic Problem , 2000, Diagrams.

[32]  Mirka Miller,et al.  An Algorithm for Drawing Compound Graphs , 1999, GD.

[33]  Jean-Daniel Fekete,et al.  Hierarchical Aggregation for Information Visualization: Overview, Techniques, and Design Guidelines , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

[34]  Guttorm Sindre,et al.  Onion graphs: aesthetics and layout , 1993, Proceedings 1993 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages.

[35]  Danny Holten,et al.  Hierarchical Edge Bundles: Visualization of Adjacency Relations in Hierarchical Data , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

[36]  Philippe Castagliola,et al.  On the Readability of Graphs Using Node-Link and Matrix-Based Representations: A Controlled Experiment and Statistical Analysis , 2005, Inf. Vis..

[37]  Giuseppe Di Battista,et al.  Efficient C-Planarity Testing for Embedded Flat Clustered Graphs with Small Faces , 2007, Graph Drawing.

[38]  Mitsuhiko Toda,et al.  Methods for Visual Understanding of Hierarchical System Structures , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics.

[39]  Michael Kaufmann,et al.  Drawing graphs: methods and models , 2001 .

[40]  Ben Shneiderman,et al.  Tree-maps: a space-filling approach to the visualization of hierarchical information structures , 1991, Proceeding Visualization '91.

[41]  W. Hays.  Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams Networks Maps. , 1985 .

[42]  Arjan Kuijper,et al.  Visual Analysis of Large Graphs , 2010, Eurographics.

[43]  Jean-Daniel Fekete,et al.  NodeTrix: a Hybrid Visualization of Social Networks , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

[44]  Martin Wattenberg,et al.  Arc diagrams: visualizing structure in strings , 2002, IEEE Symposium on Information Visualization, 2002. INFOVIS 2002..

[45]  Kwan-Liu Ma,et al.  Path Visualization for Adjacency Matrices , 2007, EuroVis.

[46]  John J. Bertin,et al.  The semiology of graphics , 1983 .

[47]  Tamara Munzner,et al.  TugGraph: Path-preserving hierarchies for browsing proximity and paths in graphs , 2009, 2009 IEEE Pacific Visualization Symposium.