A Flip-Book of Edge-Splatted Small Multiples for Visualizing Dynamic Graphs

Abstract

Dynamic graph visualization techniques can be based on animated or static diagrams showing the evolution over time. In this paper, we apply the concept of small multiples representations to visually illustrate the dynamics of a graph. Node-link diagrams are used as the basic visual metaphor for displaying individual graphs of the sequence. To improve the readability of the diagram and reduce visual clutter we apply an edge splatting technique. Here, we discuss the benefits of splatted radial graph layouts on a modifiable 2D grid. Moreover, to obtain a more scalable dynamic graph visualization we interactively support a graph analyst by a Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) feature to rapidly flip between the sequences of displayed graphs. The usefulness of the technique is illustrated in two case studies investigating a dynamic call graph and an evolving social network that consists of more than 1,000 graphs.