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The use of graph visualization approaches to present and analyze complex data is taking a leading role in conveying information and knowledge to users in many application domains. This creates the need of developing efficient and effective algorithms that automatically compute graph layouts. In this respect, force-directed algorithms are arguably among the most popular graph layout techniques. Aimed at leveraging the potential of modern distributed graph algorithms platforms, we present Multi-GiLA, the first multilevel force-directed graph visualization algorithm based on a vertex-centric computation paradigm. We implemented Multi-GiLA using the Apache Giraph platform. Experiments show that it can be successfully applied to compute high quality layouts of very large graphs on inexpensive cloud computing platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper studies how to compute radially layered drawings of graphs by taking into account additional geometric constraints which correspond to typical aesthetic and semantic requirements for the visualization. The following requirements are considered: vertex centrality, edge crossings, curve complexity, and radial distribution of the vertices. Trade-offs among these requirements are discussed and different linear-time drawing algorithms are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper investigates the basic problem of computing crossing-free straight-line 3D grid drawings of graphs such that the overall volume is small. Motivated by their relevance in the literature, we focus on families of graphs having constant queue number and on k-trees. We present algorithms that compute drawings of these families of graphs on 3D grids consisting of a constant number of parallel lines and such that the overall volume is linear. Lower bounds on the number of such grid lines are also provided. Our results extend and improve similar ones already described in the literature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on a new model for algorithm animation over the world wide web. Algorithm animation helps the end user to understand algorithms by visually following their step-by-step execution, a complex task if relying on the textual program alone. There is a strong educational component associated with algorithm animation. It can be used by students individually or in class demonstrations. Algorithm animation is also a powerful software tool that can assist the algorithm designer in code debugging and in demonstrating a complex algorithm to a larger audience than merely specialists in the particular area of the algorithm. A new model, called Mocha, has been introduced for providing algorithm animation over the World-Wide Web. Mocha is a distributed model with a client-server architecture that optimally partitions the software components of a typical algorithm animation system and leverages the power of the Java language, an emerging standard for distributing interactive platform-independent multimedia applications across the Web.

A diagram is a drawing on the plane that represents a graph-like structure, where nodes are represented by symbols and edges are represented by curves connecting pairs of symbols. An automatic layout facility is a tool that receives as input a graph-like structure and is able to produce a diagram that nicely represents such a structure. Many systems use diagrams in the interaction with the users; thus, automatic layout facilities and algorithms for graphs layout have been extensively studied in the last years. We present a new approach in designing an automatic layout facility. Our approach is based on a modular management of a large collection of algorithms and on a strategy that, given the requirements of an application, selects a suitable algorithm for such requirements. The proposed approach has been used for designing the automatic layout facility of Diagram Server, a network server that offers to its clients several facilities for managing diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is proved that every series-parallel digraph whose maximum vertex degree is Δ admits an upward planar drawing with at most one bend per edge such that each edge segment has one of Δ distinct slopes. The construction is worst-case optimal in terms of the number of slopes, and it gives rise to drawings with optimal angular resolution π Δ. A variant of the drawing algorithm is used to show that (non-directed) reduced series-parallel graphs and flat series-parallel graphs have a (non-upward) 1-bend planar drawing with ⌈ Δ 2 ⌉ distinct slopes if biconnected, and with ⌈ Δ 2 ⌉ + 1 distinct slopes if connected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper we study how to compute compact straight-line drawings of planar graphs with a limited number of crossings per edge. We prove that every outerplanar graph can be drawn in area using a sub-linear number of crossings per edge, and that for any given number , every outerplanar graph admits an area drawing with crossing per edge. The drawing algorithms run in linear time and can be also generalized to another meaningful sub-family of series–parallel graphs with bounded vertex-degree. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cognitive experiments show that humans can read graph drawings in which all edge crossings are at right angles equally well as they can read planar drawings; they also show that the readability of a drawing is heavily affected by the number of bends along the edges. A graph visualization whose edges can only cross perpendicularly is called a RAC (Right Angle Crossing) drawing. This paper initiates the study of combinatorial and algorithmic questions related to the problem of computing RAC drawings with few bends per edge. Namely, we study the interplay between number of bends per edge and total number of edges in RAC drawings. We establish upper and lower bounds on these quantities by considering two classical graph drawing scenarios: The one where the algorithm can choose the combinatorial embedding of the input graph and the one where this embedding is fixed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The contribution of this paper is twofold. It presents a new approach to the matched drawability problem of pairs of planar graphs and it provides four algorithms based on this approach for drawing the pairs , , and . Further, it initiates the study of the matched drawability of triples of planar graphs: it presents an algorithm to compute a matched drawing of a triple of cycles and an algorithm to compute a matched drawing of a caterpillar and two unlabeled level planar graphs. The results extend previous work on the subject and relate to existing literature about simultaneous embeddability and unlabeled level planarity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Let be a planar graph with vertices and with a partition of the vertex set into subsets for some positive integer . Let be a set of distinct points in the plane with a partition into subsets with (). This paper studies the problem of computing a planar polyline drawing of , such that each vertex of is mapped to a distinct point of . Lower and upper bounds on the number of bends per edge are proved for any . In the special case , we improve the upper and lower bounds presented in a paper by Pach and Wenger [J. Pach, R. Wenger, Embedding planar graphs at fixed vertex locations, Graphs and Combinatorics 17 (2001) 717–728]. The upper bound is based on an algorithm for computing a topological book embedding of a planar graph, such that the vertices follow a given left-to-right order and the number of crossings between every edge and the spine is asymptotically optimal, which can be regarded as a result of independent interest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper studies the problem of computing orthogonal drawings of graphs with labels on vertices and edges. Our research is mainly motivated by Software Engineering and Information Systems domains, where tools like UML diagrams and ER-diagrams are considered fundamental for the design of sophisticated systems and/or complex data bases collecting enormous amount of information. A label is modeled as a rectangle of prescribed width and height and it can be associated with either a vertex or an edge. Our drawing algorithms guarantee no overlaps between labels, vertices, and edges and take advantage of the information about the set of labels to compute the geometry of the drawing. Several additional optimization goals are taken into account. Namely, the labeled drawing can be required to have either minimum total edge length, or minimum width, or minimum height, or minimum area among those preserving a given orthogonal representation. All these goals lead to NP-hard problems. We present MILP models to compute optimal drawings with respect to the first three goals and an exact algorithm that is based on these models to compute a labeled drawing of minimum area. We also present several heuristics for computing compact labeled orthogonal drawings and experimentally validate their performances, comparing their solutions against the optimum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]