The visualization group in Eindhoven has a long tradition in hierarchical data visualization, which led to new methods like cushion treemaps, squarified treemaps, beamtrees, and botanically based visualizations. For a visual overview of many tree visualization methods, see http://vcg.informatik.uni-rostock.de/~hs162/treeposter/poster.html.

In this project another metaphor is explored: The River. A river has a hierarchical structure, where streams combine. The challenge is to develop automated methods to generate smooth, naturally looking patterns that resemble such a river. These can be used to visualize how larger parts (file systems, organizations, groups of people) are split up. Given this starting point, many issues are open:

• How to generate such patterns?
• How to label branches and elements?
• How to assign and use color?
• How to deal with interaction, to explore the tree and tune its presentation?
• What 3D cues could be useful?
• How would radial patterns look like?
• How to deal with constraints, for instance on the geometric distance from the root?

In the end, a flexible approach has to be developed and implemented that allows users to generate visualizations of hierarchical data that are useful and visually intriguing.

• http://vcg.informatik.uni-rostock.de/~hs162/treeposter/poster.html