3D DynNetVis — A 3D visualization technique for dynamic networks

Abstract

In this demo paper we present a new visualization technique for dynamic networks. It displays the time slices of the dynamic network using two dimensional graph layouting algorithms and stacks these in the third dimension to show the development over time. The visualization ensures that the same node always has the same position in each time slice so that it is easy to follow its development. It also allows filtering data and influencing node appearance based on properties. Additionally we offer a two dimensional comparison view for two time slices which highlights changes in graph structure and (if available) in measures of nodes. The presented visualization technique is implemented using Web technology and is available in a Web-based analytics workbench. We demonstrate the benefits of these techniques by an analysis of a data set from a learning community.