Graph Visualization by Organizing Connections in Collapsible Hierarchical Graphs

Network graphs in certain applications, e.g., cloud-network graphs, have connections in multiple dimensions. At present, it is difficult or inconvenient for a user to visualize such graphs at varying levels of granularity or hierarchy. Per the techniques of this disclosure, a hull is defined as a node with descendants, and a segment is defined as a bundle of edges between descendants below a pair of nodes. By enabling a user to expand or collapse a hull, and by routing edges via segments connecting parent nodes, the described techniques enable a high-level visualization of large graph networks that can be quickly refocused into low-level pictures