DAG Drawing from an Information Visualization Perspective

Abstract

When dealing with a graph, any visualization strategy must rely on a layout procedure at least to initiate the process. Because the visualization process evolves within an interactive environment the choice of this layout procedure is critical and will often be based on efficiency. This paper compares two popular layout strategies, one based on the extraction of a spanning tree, the other based on edge crossing minimization of directed acyclic graphs. The comparison is made based on a large number of experimental evidence gathered through random graph generation. The main conclusion of these experiments is that, contrary to the popular belief, usage of edge crossing minimization algorithms may be extremely useful and advantageous, even under the heavy requirements of information visualization.