The Generation of Schematic Diagrams from Geographic Representations of Networks

Often, the geographic view of a network hides important connectivity information found in the network. In these cases a schematic diagram of the network data provides a representation in which connectivity relationships are highlighted. In this paper we explore issues relating to the development of information systems that not only support schematic representations of network data, but also allow for the computer-assisted layout of the schematic. A simple design that consist of two main components is investigated. The components in the design include (1) database management system software and (2) network layout software that implements common graph drawing algorithms. A prototype implementation of the design is discussed. The implementation makes use of the Smallworld Spatial Resource Planning product to provide the underlying database management facilities. A Java application implements a simple graph drawing algorithm. Network data is passed from Smallworld SRP to the Java application. A schematic version of the network is developed using the Java application and then sent back to the Smallworld product.