FACULTY OF COMPUTER & MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

UITM SHAH ALAM

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) MATHEMATICS (CS249)

ASSIGNMENT 1 DSC 651

CS2496C

NAME : FAZLIYANA BINTI GHAZALI

MATRIX NO : 2017792083
ASSIGNMENT 1: NETWORK VISUALIZATION

1) What is network data visualization?

Network visualization (also known as the Network Graph) is the process of visually
presenting networks of connected entities as links and nodes. It is often used to visualize
complex relationships between large numbers of elements. Nodes represent data points or the
entities while links represent the connections between them. Network visualization displays
undirected and directed graphic structures.

The world is densely connected. If there’s an interesting relationship in your data, you’ll find
value in network visualization.

 Intuitive
Exploring networks as node-link structures instantly makes sense, even to people who
have never worked with related data before.

 Fast
Our brains are good at finding patterns, but only if the data is in a measurable format.
Visualizing the network lets you quickly identify patterns and outliers.
  Scalable
Network visualization enables complexity to be simplified, context viewed, and
detailed understanding. You can get an overview or dive into specific connections
with a single chart.

 Insightful
You gain deeper knowledge and understanding of the context through interactive data
analysis. This is difficult to achieve with static, aggregated visualization.

2) Find 3 case study that make use of network visualization 3) For each case study a) describe
briefly what the case study about. e.g To show the overall view of London Subway. b) how
network visualization support the story/knowledge behind the graph. E.g. The node (for stop
station) and the lines to connect the stations c) the basic visual elements used to explain the
knowledge behind the graph (e.g color, space, line, position) 4) Strength and weakness of the
network visualization

2) 3 case study of Network Visualization

 Flight route network
 K


3) Describe the case study

 Flight route network

4) Find 5 types of network visualization.
 Alluvial Diagrams
 Node-Link Diagrams
 Word Cloud
 Parallel coordinates plot
 Matrix diagrams

5)

6) Explain the visualization

 Alluvial Diagrams
Alluvial diagrams are a type of flow diagram originally developed to represent changes in
network structure over time. Alluvial diagrams, in reference to both their visual
appearance and their emphasis on flow, are named after alluvial fans, naturally formed by
soil deposited from streaming water.

Variables are allocated to perpendicular vertical axes. Values are expressed by blocks on
each axis. The height of the block represents the size of the cluster and the height of the
 stream field represents the size of the components found in the two blocks related to the
stream field.

Alluvial diagram is a variant of the Parallel Sets but for categorical variables and often to
display trends over time and phases.

 Node-Link Diagrams
This type of visualization illustrates how things are interconnected through the use of
nodes / vertices and link lines to represent their links and help to illustrate the type of
relationship that exist between a group of entities.
Nodes are usually drawn as small dots or circles, but it is also possible to use icons. Links
are usually displayed as simple lines connected between the nodes. Nevertheless, not all
nodes and links are created equally in some network diagrams: for example, additional
variables can be visualized by making the node size or link the weight of the stroke
proportional to the assigned value.
 Word Cloud
A Word Cloud or Tag Cloud is a visual representation of text data in the form of tags,
which are typically single words whose importance is visualized by way of their size and
color. It shows how often words appear in a given text body by making each word's size
proportional to its frequency.

Word clouds can add clarity to the text analysis to effectively communicate the results of
your data.

Pros of Word Clouds Cons of Word Clouds

Impactful and easy to understand Possibly erroneous emphasis based

 Pros of Word Clouds Cons of Word Clouds

on length of the words

Words with letters that contain many

Quick to generate and easily
ascenders and descenders may
shared
receive more attention

More visually engaging than a

Not very accurate
data table

Reveals essential information Requires a lot of data cleaning

Delightful and promote

Context is lost
emotional connection

 Parallel coordinates plot

This type of visualization is used for plotting multivariate, numerical data. Parallel
Coordinates Plots are ideal for comparing many variables together and seeing the
relationships between them. For example, if you had to compare an array of products
with the same attributes (comparing computer or cars specs across different models).

In a Parallel Coordinates Plot, each variable is given its own axis and all the axes are
placed in parallel to each other. Each axis can have a different scale, as each variable
works off a different unit of measurement, or all the axes can be normalized to keep all
the scales uniform. Values are plotted as a series of lines that connected across all the
axes. This means that each line is a collection of points placed on each axis, that have all
been connected together.

The downside to Parallel Coordinates Plots, is that they can become over-cluttered and
therefore, illegible when they’re very data-dense. The best way to remedy this problem is
through interactivity and a technique known as “Brushing”. Brushing highlights a
 selected line or collection of lines while fading out all the others. This allows you to
isolate sections of the plot you’re interested in while filtering out the noise.

 Matrix Diagrams
A matrix diagram is defined as a new management planning tool used for analyzing and
displaying the relationship between data sets. The matrix diagram shows the relationship
between two, three, or four information groups. It may also provide information on the
relationship, such as its strength, the roles played by different individuals or
measurements.

When to use each matrix diagram shape

 An L-shaped matrix relates two groups of items to each other (or one group to
itself).
  A T-shaped matrix relates three groups of items: groups B and C are each related
to A; groups B and C are not related to each other.
 A Y-shaped matrix relates three groups of items: each group is related to the
other two in a circular fashion.
 A C-shaped matrix relates three groups of items all together simultaneously, in
3D.
 An X-shaped matrix relates four groups of items: each group is related to two
others in a circular fashion.
 A roof-shaped matrix relates one group of items to itself; it is usually used along
with an L- or T-shaped matrix.

References:
1. https://cambridge-intelligence.com/keylines/why-visualize-networks/
2.