Automatic Metro Map Layout Using Multicriteria Optimization

• Published in: IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 101 - 114
• Main Authors: Stott, J, Rodgers, P, Martínez-Ovando, Juan Carlos, Walker, S G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.01.2011; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Application software; Automation; Cancer; Clusters; Computer Graphics; Computer networks; Computer Simulation; Computer-Aided Design; diagram layout; Fitness; Geometry; graph drawing; Humans; Information Storage and Retrieval - methods; Information visualization; Maps as Topic; Metros; Minima; Navigation; Network topology; Optimization; Optimization methods; Pattern Recognition, Automated - methods; Software; Stations; Studies; Subway stations; Subways; System testing; User-Computer Interface; Visualization
• ISSN: 1077-2626; 1941-0506; 1941-0506
• DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2010.24

This paper describes an automatic mechanism for drawing metro maps. We apply multicriteria optimization to find effective placement of stations with a good line layout and to label the map unambiguously. A number of metrics are defined, which are used in a weighted sum to find a fitness value for a layout of the map. A hill climbing optimizer is used to reduce the fitness value, and find improved map layouts. To avoid local minima, we apply clustering techniques to the map-the hill climber moves both stations and clusters when finding improved layouts. We show the method applied to a number of metro maps, and describe an empirical study that provides some quantitative evidence that automatically-drawn metro maps can help users to find routes more efficiently than either published maps or undistorted maps. Moreover, we have found that, in these cases, study subjects indicate a preference for automatically-drawn maps over the alternatives.