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Visualize each other's graph (foaf)

I wrote a script to export Twitter friends as a description of foaf rdf. Now I am looking for a tool for visualizing networks of friends. I tried http://foafscape.berlios.de/ , but for 300+ nodes it is very slow and does a poor job with automatic formatting.

Any tips for good graph visualization tools? This is normal if they do not support foaf directly, but they should be able to use images for graph nodes and be able to display large graphs. Linux support will be enjoyable.

Oh, and I'm looking for an interactive tool where I can move nodes manually.

Update: Thanks for your input. I know graphviz and for static images this is really great. But for large datasets, I need to be able to select nodes and select all neighbors.

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visualization semantic-web rdf foaf
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11 answers

maybe the prefuse tool can help you . It is based on Java and has many sample applications, including a graphical viewer .

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You can try Graphviz . It works on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X, and it will generate image (PNG, PS, etc.) graphics. You will have to convert your foaf data into your own language, but it's pretty easy to learn.

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I don’t know a single program that automatically generates graph visualization and allows you to interactively configure nodes, but Graphviz is really a popular graph visualization tool. It can export to SVG so you can edit the result in your favorite vector graphics editor.

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As recommended by other posters, specifically Graphviz . It accepts the input file, let it foaf.dot in the following format:

graph G { "George Formby" [shape=custom, shapefile="file:formby.png"]; "Michael Jackson" [shape=custom, shapefile="file:jackson.png"]; "George Formby" -- "Michael Jackson"; "Fred Flinstone" -- "Michael Jackson"; "Michael Jackson" -- "Steve McQueen"; }

Please note that this file describes an undirected graph (I hope your friendships are mutual). The syntax for directed graphs is similar.

To output your graph to a PDF file (provided that you have already installed graphviz), run the following command

 dot -Tpdf foaf.dot > foaf.pdf

Graphviz supports several output formats other than PDF; for more details, see its documentation.

I find that the dot program usually provides the best output, however Graphviz contains a total of 5 layout programs. From the documentation:

  • dot - filter for drawing oriented graphs
  • neato - filter for drawing undirected graphs
  • twopi - filter for radial chart layouts
  • circo - filter for circular layout of graphs
  • fdp - filter for drawing non-oriented graphs
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I had previously recommended Graphviz, but I thought I should now add another recommendation when using Gephi , a newer tool than many here. This is a very powerful tool for studying interactive graphs, which I found much more convenient and much faster than the many alternatives here.

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Try using the Google Social Graph. At one of the talks at dConstruct08 last week, a social chart appeared showing Robert Scoble's friendships.

http://code.google.com/apis/socialgraph/
http://dconstruct.org/2008

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If you use Java, you can use JGraph .

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I know that Adobe Flex has several components for rendering graphics, and, of course, this will allow the application to run on Flash, which has an excellent penetration rate into your potential user base. I would add the Flex SpringGraph component to Google and test this. Flex uses a ton of graphics components for Flex, both paid and free versions.

Only one SpringGraph from the head: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&extid=1048510

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check this forum: http://goosebumps4all.net/34all/bb/forumdisplay.php?fid=28 for some examples of torches there is one another.

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Have you tried the Python-based IDE NodeBox (1.0)? This is what I used to create them: http://givememydata.com/#images

vizster looks cool, though, I'll check it out.

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For large graphs, Gephi (http://gephi.org/) is very popular. It is very customizable with many layout and presentation options.

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