Authors:
Alberto Debiasi
;
Bruno Simões
and
Raffaele De Amicis
Affiliation:
Fondazione Graphitech, Italy
Keyword(s):
Visual Clutter, Geographic Node-link Diagram, Edge Congestion, Geo-referenced Networks.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Abstract Data Visualization
;
Computer Vision, Visualization and Computer Graphics
;
General Data Visualization
;
Graph Visualization
;
Information and Scientific Visualization
;
Interface and Interaction Techniques for Visualization
Abstract:
Visual clutter is a hot topic in the domain of node-link diagrams as it negatively affects usability, aesthetics
and data interpretation. The organization of items, i.e. the way nodes and links are positioned in the display,
is one problem among many that leads to visual clutter. In previous work, different techniques were proposed
to reduce the clutter that depends on the organization of nodes and links. However, a schematization of such
techniques by task was never considered. Approaching the problem by task would be more efficient since
visual clutter, by definition, depends on the task to be performed. In this paper, we propose a solution to
visual clutter driven by the type of task. In particular, the aim of our work is to provide an answer to the
following question: Given a task and a geographic node-link diagram, which are the appropriated techniques
to reduce the visual clutter that depends on the spatial organization of nodes and links. In our solution, we have
clas
sified tasks into a limited number of task groups. For each tasks group, we have identified and analyzed
issues leading to a performance degradation. The final outcome consists on a list of good candidate techniques
for each task group. The selected techniques are the results of a survey that selects only approaches that act
on the position of nodes and links.
(More)