Semantic Zooming and Edge Bundling for Multi-Scale Supply Chain Flow Visualization

2026-04-09

AI Summary

Traditional visualizations of supply chain flows often suffer from visual clutter that obscures critical patterns. This work proposes a multi-scale semantic zooming framework that integrates skeleton-based edge bundling (SBEB), hexagonal density heatmaps, and hierarchical inventory sunburst charts to coherently represent aggregated flows, spatial densities, and inventory structures across macro, meso, and micro scales. The SBEB algorithm is enhanced with directional sector clustering and adaptive detour constraints to improve geographic plausibility. Implemented using Vue3 and Deck.gl, the system aggregates raw order data into 202 warehouse-to-state flow paths, substantially reducing visual complexity while enhancing actionable insights.

Technology Category

• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Data Visualization & Summarization
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Distributed Search

Application Category

• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Web data visualization
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs
• Semantics and Knowledge: Scalable techniques for the creation, curation, publication, maintenance, and consumption of large, Web-based, structured, reusable, knowledge graphs and ontologies

Abstract

Modern supply chain networks involve spatially distributed flows that become difficult to interpret using traditional visualization techniques, producing visual clutter that obscures actionable patterns. We present a multi-scale visual analytics dashboard that combines Semantic Zooming with Skeleton-Based Edge Bundling (SBEB). The system dynamically adapts its representation based on zoom level: bundled aggregate flows at the macro-scale, hexagonal density heatmaps at the meso-scale, and hierarchical inventory sunbursts at the micro-scale. Built on Vue3 and Deck.gl, it reduces raw orders to 202 warehouse-to-state flows. We contribute (1)a semantic zoom implementation with animated transitions that unifies edge bundling, hexagonal density aggregation, and hierarchical inventory views into a single interface; and (2)an algorithmic adaptation of SBEB for geographic origin-destination flows, introducing directional-sector clustering and adaptive detour constraints to preserve cartographic plausibility.

Problem

• supply chain visualization
• visual clutter
• multi-scale representation
• spatial flows
• actionable patterns

Innovation

• Semantic Zooming
• Skeleton-Based Edge Bundling
• Multi-Scale Visualization
• Geographic Flow Visualization
• Directional-Sector Clustering