Novel visual metaphors for multivariate networks

Abstract

As visualization researchers we are often in search of new designs. In particular, when the data is huge, and there are many variables, it is challenging for the developer to imagine new designs that would be effective. As well as imagining a new visual projection methodology, developers need to create designs that enable users to explore, interact and perceive the data. While this design challenge is a broad issue in the subject of data visualization, multivariate network data offers specific challenges to the developer and designer. Users wish to understand network data that contains many nodes and edges, with many variables at each node and on each edge. In fact, the graph visualizations that are often used with this type of data contain many thousands of nodes and edges and are complex to understand. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.