A stable graph layout algorithm for processes
In June 2019, the paper entitled A stable graph layout algorithm for processes was presented and published at the 21st EG/VGTC Conference on Visualization (EuroVis). I wrote this paper together with Roeland Scheepens (ProcessGold) and Michel Westenberg (Eindhoven University of Technology) and it is based on the work I did for my master's thesis.
Full citation
Robin J. P. Mennens, Roeland Scheepens, and Michel A. Westenberg. A Stable Graph Layout Algorithm for Processes. Computer Graphics Forum, 38(3):725-737, 2019.
BibTex
URLs
Published version
Preprint version : This is the accepted version of the following article: Robin J. P. Mennens, Roeland Scheepens, and Michel A. Westenberg. A Stable Graph Layout Algorithm for Processes. Computer Graphics Forum, 2019. , which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com. This article may be used for non-commercial puposes in accordance with the Wiley Self-Archiving Policy [https://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-820227.html].
Supplementary material
Supplementary video
Abstract
Process mining enables organizations to analyze data about their (business) processes. Visualization is key to gaining insight into these processes and the associated data. Process visualization requires a high-quality graph layout that intuitively represents the semantics of the process. Process analysis additionally requires interactive filtering to explore the process data andprocess graph. The ideal process visualization therefore provides a high-quality, intuitive layout and preserves the mental map of the user during the visual exploration. The current industry standard used for process visualization does not satisfy either of these requirements. In this paper, we propose a novel layout algorithm for processes based on the Sugiyama framework. Our approach consists of novel ranking and order constraint algorithms and a novel crossing minimization algorithm. These algorithms make use of the process data to compute stable, high-quality layouts. In addition, we use phased animation to further improve mental map preservation. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations show that our approach computes layouts of higher quality and preserves the mental map better than the industry standard. Additionally, our approach is substantially faster, especially for graphs with more than 250 edges.
Full citation
Robin J. P. Mennens, Roeland Scheepens, and Michel A. Westenberg. A Stable Graph Layout Algorithm for Processes. Computer Graphics Forum, 38(3):725-737, 2019.
BibTex
@article{Mennens:StableGraphLayout:2019,
journal = {Computer Graphics Forum},
title = {{A Stable Graph Layout Algorithm for Processes}},
author = {Robin J. P. Mennens and Roeland Scheepens and Michel A. Westenberg},
pages = {725-737},
volume= {38},
number= {3},
year = {2019},
ISSN = {1467-8659},
note = {\URL{https://diglib.eg.org/bitstream/handle/10.1111/cgf13723/v38i3pp725-737.pdf}},
DOI = {10.1111/cgf.13723},
}
journal = {Computer Graphics Forum},
title = {{A Stable Graph Layout Algorithm for Processes}},
author = {Robin J. P. Mennens and Roeland Scheepens and Michel A. Westenberg},
pages = {725-737},
volume= {38},
number= {3},
year = {2019},
ISSN = {1467-8659},
note = {\URL{https://diglib.eg.org/bitstream/handle/10.1111/cgf13723/v38i3pp725-737.pdf}},
DOI = {10.1111/cgf.13723},
}
URLs
Published version
Preprint version : This is the accepted version of the following article: Robin J. P. Mennens, Roeland Scheepens, and Michel A. Westenberg. A Stable Graph Layout Algorithm for Processes. Computer Graphics Forum, 2019. , which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com. This article may be used for non-commercial puposes in accordance with the Wiley Self-Archiving Policy [https://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-820227.html].
Supplementary material
Supplementary video
Abstract
Process mining enables organizations to analyze data about their (business) processes. Visualization is key to gaining insight into these processes and the associated data. Process visualization requires a high-quality graph layout that intuitively represents the semantics of the process. Process analysis additionally requires interactive filtering to explore the process data andprocess graph. The ideal process visualization therefore provides a high-quality, intuitive layout and preserves the mental map of the user during the visual exploration. The current industry standard used for process visualization does not satisfy either of these requirements. In this paper, we propose a novel layout algorithm for processes based on the Sugiyama framework. Our approach consists of novel ranking and order constraint algorithms and a novel crossing minimization algorithm. These algorithms make use of the process data to compute stable, high-quality layouts. In addition, we use phased animation to further improve mental map preservation. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations show that our approach computes layouts of higher quality and preserves the mental map better than the industry standard. Additionally, our approach is substantially faster, especially for graphs with more than 250 edges.
Supplementary video