Netwulf: Interactive visualization of networks in Python

• DOI: 10.21105/joss.01425
• Publication Date: 2019-10-01T13:11:28Z
• Authors: Ulf Aslak; Benjamin Maier
• Keywords: Python

Network visualization is an effective way to illustrate properties of a complex system.It important tool for exploring and finding patterns, used by researchers practitioners across many fields industries.Currently, there exist number tools visualizing networks.Networkx (Hagberg, Schult, & Swart, 2008) popular Python package network analysis which provides limited functionality computing layouts plotting networks statically.Layout computations are done in or using the php-based software Graphviz (Ellson, Gansner, Koutsofios, North, Woodhull, 2002), slow.Another graph-tool (Peixoto, 2014), relies on high external C++-libraries installation/compilation can be overwhelming beginners.Furthermore, its functions have interactive features.Gephi (Bastian, Heymann, Jacomy, 2009) Cytoscape (Shannon et al., 2003) dedicated programs.They both Javabased run desktop clients with GUI where users save load as separate files.Webweb (Wapman Larremore, 2019) enables Matlab d3.js (Bostock, Ogievetsky, Heer, 2011) force layout.Its main purpose, however, exploration features exporting one-time visualizations SVG HTML.