D3.js in Action

Chapter 6. Network visualization

This chapter covers

• Creating adjacency matrices and arc diagrams
• Using the force-directed layout
• Representing directionality
• Adding and removing network nodes and edges

Network analysis and network visualization are more common now with the growth of online social networks like Twitter and Facebook, as well as social media and linked data in what was known as Web 2.0. Network visualizations like the kind you’ll see in this chapter, some of which are shown in figure 6.1, are particularly interesting because they focus on how things are related. They represent systems more accurately than the traditional flat data seen in more common data visualizations.

Figure 6.1. Along with explaining the basics of network ...