Automated Generation of Schematic Network Maps Adaptive to Display Sizes

Schematic maps have been popularly used for the representation of metro (or underground) lines and nowadays have also been used for the representation of other network maps. This paper presents a strategy for automated generation of schematic network maps for different display sizes, based on a redistribution of line density. This strategy consists of three steps: (a) estimation of spatial density of the network maps, (b) automated redistribution of line density in order to improve map clarity, for different display sizes, and (c) automated generation of schematic representations. An experimental evaluation has been carried out by using two sets of real-life network data. The results indicate that this strategy is able to generate schematic maps with much improved clarity for different display sizes and well-preserved map recognition.