Semantic Zooming and Edge Bundling for Multi-Scale Supply Chain Flow Visualization
2026-04-09 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer Interaction
AI summaryⓘ
The authors created a tool to help people understand complex supply chain data that is spread out across different locations. Their system changes what it shows depending on how much you zoom in: big picture flows when zoomed out, heatmaps at medium zoom, and detailed inventory charts when zoomed in closely. They combined several visualization techniques into one dashboard with smooth transitions, making it easier to explore the data without confusion. They also improved an edge bundling method to better show flow directions on maps without making it look unrealistic.
supply chain networksvisual analyticssemantic zoomingedge bundlinghexagonal heatmapsinventory sunburstsgeographic flowsorigin-destination datacartographic visualizationVue3Deck.gl
Authors
Songmao Li, Kaixuan Qu, Keer Sun, Bhargav Limbasia, Luciano Nocera
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.