Flow Map Layout

Word done by Doantam Phan under the umbrella of Terry Winograd at Stanford and presented at InfoVis 2005, Flow Map Layout uses a method for generating flow maps using hierarchical clustering given a set of nodes, positions, and flow data between the nodes. The abstract goes as follow:

Cartographers have long used flow maps to show the movement of objects from one location to another, such as the number of people in a migration, the amount of goods being traded, or the number of packets in a network. The advantage of flow maps is that they reduce visual clutter by merging edges. Most flow maps are drawn by hand and there are few computer algorithms available. We present a method for generating flow maps using hierarchical clustering given a set of nodes, positions, and flow data between the nodes. Our techniques are inspired by graph layout algorithms that minimize edge crossings and distort node positions while maintaining their relative position to one another. We demonstrate our technique by producing flow maps for network traffic, census data, and trade data.

The designer of this visualization used the Flow Map Layout to produce a flow map which then they mapped to a globe. It appears in the UK Interdependence Report.

Relation to my thesis: I am looking for techniques to improve my flows maps of tourists.