An interactive javascript tool for visualizing Spatial Networks github 
, app , pdf
Vizaj only requires as input an Adjacency Matrix corresponding to an (un)weighted graph and the positions of the nodes. ⇒ Data Import with Vizaj
All the output visualizations can be then saved and exported as high-quality pictures and reusable 3D models. ⇒ Graphical Export with Vizaj
Ward via matrix had trouble drawing a graceful arc of some thickness in Three.js. This looks like their strong point. ⇒ Network Visualization with Vizaj
Together with a .gltf to .glb converter, the Vizaj output could serve as the basis for a Croquet world.
# Abstract
In many fields of science and technology we are confronted with complex networks. Making sense of these networks often require the ability to visualize and explore their intermingled structure consisting of nodes and links. To facilitate the identification of significant connectivity patterns, many methods have been developed based on the rearrangement of the nodes so as to avoid link criss-cross. However, real networks are often embedded in a geometrical space and the nodes code for an intrinsic physical feature of the system that one might want to preserve. For these spatial networks, it is therefore crucial to find alternative strategies operating on the links and not on the nodes.
Here, we introduce Vizaj a javascript web application to visualize spatial networks based on optimized geometrical criteria that reshape the link profiles. While optimized for 3D networks, Vizaj can also be used for 2D networks and offers the possibility to interactively customize the visualization via several controlling parameters, including network filtering and the effect of internode distance on the link trajectories. Vizaj is further equipped with additional options allowing to improve the final aesthetics, such as the color/size of both nodes and links, zooming/rotating/translating, and superimposing external objects.
Vizaj is an open-source software which can be freely downloaded and updated via a github repository. Here, we provide a detailed description of its main features and algorithms together with a guide on how to use it. Finally, we validate its potential on several synthetic and real spatial networks from infrastructural to biological systems. We hope that Vizaj will help scientists and practitioners to make sense of complex networks and provide aesthetic while informative visualizations.
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ROLLAND, Thibault and FALLANI, Fabrizio De Vico, 2022. Vizaj – An interactive javascript tool for visualizing spatial networks. arXiv:2212.01337. pdf
Vizaj is intended to be lightweight tool that can be run without any installation. To this end, we coded Vizaj in javascript using the Three.js framework (https://three.js). Three.js is a GPU-accelerated 3D processing javascript language compiled with WebGL, a low-level graphics API designed specifically for the web. Notably, Vizaj is hosted online, which makes it usable on any machine through internet, and it runs standalone without relying on proprietary browser plugins. A dedicated graphical user interface (GUI) facilitates the interactive manipulation and creation of the visualization by the end user (Fig. 2). The whole process consists of three steps: i) the data import, ii) the network visualization, and iii) the export of the final outcome. A detailed guide is also provided in the github page.