XML Topic Maps: Creating and Using Topic Maps for the Web

Visualization Techniques

This section examines which visualization techniques meet the representation and navigation requirements described above and thus may be used to represent topic maps. First we consider current topic map visualizations; then we explore visualization techniques used for more general complex structures.

Current Topic Map Visualizations

Several topic map engines provide visualizations of topic maps. Most of them display lists or indexes from which users can select a topic and see related information. This representation is very convenient when users' needs are clearly identified. The navigation is usually the same as that on Web sites: users click on a link to open a new topic or association. The Ontopia Navigator (omnigator), ...