Comparison of tools for network visualization

Network analysis is the exploration of data that can be presented with networks, such as computer, social or biological systems. Effective examination of large datasets is getting more difficult due to their increase in quantitiy and complexitiy. The main purpose of network visualization is to effectively present data with the help of visual perception, and in particular to facilitate the exploration of data or networks. Gephi, NetworkX, igraph, JUNG and Prefuse are libraries that are commonly used for network analysis and visualization. This diploma thesis includes review and comparison of the function coverage and scalability of the chosen software packages. We are particularly interested in graph generation, modification of nodes and edges properties and graph visualization. Results show that these five software packages are complementary rather than competitive. The main differences between them are the choice of programming language and the chosen type of network visualization