Search Results

Documents authored by Neal, Zachary P.

Document
Short Paper
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.COSIT.2024.19
The Senators Problem: A Design Space of Node Placement Methods for Geospatial Network Visualization (Short Paper)

Authors: Arnav Mardia, Sichen Jin, Kathleen M. Carley, Yu-Ru Lin, Zachary P. Neal, Patrick Park, and Clio Andris

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 315, 16th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2024)

Abstract
Geographic network visualizations often require assigning nodes to geographic coordinates, but this can be challenging when precise node locations are undefined. We explore this problem using U.S. senators as a case study. Each state has two senators, and thus it is difficult to assign clear individual locations. We devise eight different node placement strategies ranging from geometric approaches such as state centroids and longest axis midpoints to data-driven methods using population centers and home office locations. Through expert evaluation, we found that specific coordinates such as senators’ office locations and state centroids are preferred strategies, while random placements and the longest axis method are least favored. The findings also highlight the importance of aligning node placement with research goals and avoiding potentially misleading encodings. This paper contributes to future advancements in geospatial network visualization software development and aims to facilitate more effective exploratory spatial data analysis.
Cite as

Arnav Mardia, Sichen Jin, Kathleen M. Carley, Yu-Ru Lin, Zachary P. Neal, Patrick Park, and Clio Andris. The Senators Problem: A Design Space of Node Placement Methods for Geospatial Network Visualization (Short Paper). In 16th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 315, pp. 19:1-19:9, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{mardia_et_al:LIPIcs.COSIT.2024.19,
  author =	{Mardia, Arnav and Jin, Sichen and Carley, Kathleen M. and Lin, Yu-Ru and Neal, Zachary P. and Park, Patrick and Andris, Clio},
  title =	{{The Senators Problem: A Design Space of Node Placement Methods for Geospatial Network Visualization}},
  booktitle =	{16th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2024)},
  pages =	{19:1--19:9},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-330-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{315},
  editor =	{Adams, Benjamin and Griffin, Amy L. and Scheider, Simon and McKenzie, Grant},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.COSIT.2024.19},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-208346},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.COSIT.2024.19},
  annote =	{Keywords: Spatial networks, Political networks, Social networks, Geovisualization, Node placement}
}
Questions / Remarks / Feedback
X

Feedback for Dagstuhl Publishing


Thanks for your feedback!

Feedback submitted

Could not send message

Please try again later or send an E-mail
© 2023-2024 Schloss Dagstuhl – LZI GmbH About DROPS Imprint Privacy Contact