Image-Based Edge Bundles: Simplified Visualization of Large Graphs

We present a new approach aimed at understanding the structure of connections in edge-bundling layouts. We combine the advantages of edge bundles with a bundle-centric simplified visual representation of a graph’s structure. For this, we first compute a hierarchical edge clustering of a given graph layout which groups similar edges together. Next, we render clusters at a user-selected level of detail using a new image-based technique that combines distance-based splatting and shape skeletonization. The overall result displays a given graph as a small set of overlapping shaded edge bundles. Luminance, saturation, hue, and shading encode edge density, edge types, and edge similarity. Finally, we add brushing and a new type of semantic lens to help navigation where local structures overlap. We illustrate the proposed method on several real-world graph datasets.