Visual comparison is an important task in the analysis of multivariate graphs. However, comparison of topological features of a graph with respect to its data attributes for different portions of the data remains challenging because there is no single visual representation that would suit the dynamic nature of comparative analyses. To facilitate the visual comparison in node-link diagrams, we propose the comparison lens as a focus+context approach for dynamic layout adaptation. The core idea is to start with a topology-driven layout and locally inject an attribute-driven layout based on the multivariate similarity of node attributes. This facilitates comparison tasks on a local level while preserving the user's overall mental map of the graph topology. Additional visual enhancements, including color-coding, reduction of edge clutter, and radial guides, further support the comparison. To fit the lens to different comparison situations, it can be configured via user-controllable parameters. To demonstrate the utility of our approach, we use it for comparison in a real-world dataset of soccer players.

翻译：视觉比较是多变量图分析中的重要任务。然而，针对数据不同部分，将图的拓扑特征与其数据属性进行比较仍具挑战性，因为单一视觉表示无法适应比较分析的动态特性。为促进节点-链接图中的视觉比较，我们提出"比较透镜"作为聚焦+上下文方法，用于实现动态布局自适应。其核心思想是：以拓扑驱动布局为起点，基于节点属性的多变量相似性，局部注入属性驱动布局。该方法在局部层面促进比较任务的同时，保留用户对图拓扑的整体认知地图。额外的视觉增强技术（包括颜色编码、减少边杂乱及径向引导）进一步支持比较功能。为适配不同比较场景，该透镜可通过用户可控参数进行配置。我们通过足球运动员真实数据集上的比较应用，验证了该方法的实用性。