Visualizing biochemical networks with Netview

Abstract

Networks are modelled as graphs and are represented visually using graph-drawing algorithms. Visualization of such big networks help biologists understand them. In this paper, we present a Java 3d-based visualization toolkit called NetView that is designed for the interactive three-dimensional visualization of biochemical networks. The network is first laid out in three dimensions using an algorithm and then rendered onto the screen for visualization and interaction. The system allows the examination of the network and querying the underlying database by each of its components. NetView offers basic navigational features such as translation, scaling and rotation of the network. It also offers features such as animation, traversal of the network on the fly, walk and orbit modes, and storage snapshots of the network from various angles.