VISUALIZING LARGE GRAPHS

摘要

Large graph visualization embodiments are presented which generally render and display the more important elements for a current view. To this end, a measure of importance referred to as a zoom level is assigned to the vertices and rails of a graph. Each rail is a curve segment in the graph that represents an edge or a set of edges passing through it. The rendering and displaying of a graph (or a part thereof) is done quickly, even as a user moves about the graph, and the visualization of the large graph is not so dense and so full of detail that the user becomes disoriented. In general, this is accomplished by specifying a current viewport, or a current zoom level, or both. Furthermore, the visualization is stable in that the layout of vertices and rails will be the same for the same zoom level and viewport.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented process for assigning zoom level values to vertices and rails of a graph, comprising:
using a computer to perform the following process actions: computing and assigning zoom level values to vertices of the graph, wherein at each zoom level, vertices deemed to be the most important are assigned, in hierarchical order, a zoom level value associated with the zoom level, until at least one region of the graph associated with the zoom level has a prescribed maximum number of vertices assigned the zoom level value associated with the zoom level; and computing and assigning zoom level values to rails of the graph, said rails each being a curve segment in the graph that represents an edge or a set of edges passing through it.