Navigating large networks with hierarchies

This paper is aimed at the exploratory visualization of networks where there is a strength or weight associated with each link, and makes use of any hierarchy present on the nodes to aid the investigation of large networks. It describes a method of placing nodes on the plane that gives meaning to their relative positions. The paper discusses how linking and interaction principles aid the user in the exploration. Two examples are given; one of electronic mail communication over eight months within a department, another concerned with changes to a large section of a computer program