Visualisation & analytics

Visualisation mode renders your map analytically. Switching to it (and between lenses) never changes your data — only how it is drawn. Switch modes with the Edit/Visualise toggle next to the map name.

Unlike Edit mode, visualisation mode can show every node in the map, whether or not it’s been placed on the Edit canvas yet — the force layout positions nodes itself, so there’s nothing to place first. This is controlled by the Visualise unplaced nodes toggle in the sidebar’s Settings panel, and is on by default.

Lenses

• Landscape (force-directed topology) — the overall shape of the network, laid out by connection strength.
• Bridges (betweenness centrality) — highlights the nodes that act as bridges between parts of the network. For large maps this is computed in the background; a “Computing centrality…” indicator shows while it runs.
• Capabilities (field clustering) — nodes coloured, sized, and clustered by a chosen field, e.g. a capability.

Connection weighting

The Weighting panel controls how connection weight is computed — it’s shared across lenses, not tucked inside Landscape’s or Bridges’ own controls, because it governs both: Landscape’s layout (a heavier pair sits closer together) and Bridges’ path costs alike.

• Presence (default) — any connection between a pair counts, zero configuration required.
• Count — a weighted count of connections between a pair, scaled across the whole graph.
• Filter — pick one connection type; only pairs connected by that type stay in view, everything else drops out entirely (not faded).
• Score — assign each connection type a score from 0 to 1; a pair’s weight sums the scores of the types connecting it.

A connection with no assigned field (just a Reason) has no “type” for Filter or Score to key off, so it’s treated per mode: it counts normally under Presence and Count, never matches under Filter, and contributes nothing under Score.

Directional highlighting

When Filter mode is active on a directed field and you select a node, the canvas colour-codes the selected node’s neighbourhood instead of the usual dim-the-rest highlight: the selected node itself, nodes that point at it, nodes it points at, and nodes with a link in both directions each get a distinct colour. A legend in the bottom-left corner of the canvas names the field and its reverse reading (e.g. “funds” / “funded by”) so you can tell which colour means which direction.

Encodings

You can size and colour nodes by a node field — the Appearance panel handles this independently of which lens is active (betweenness centrality always drives size in its own lens; field clustering always drives colour in its own lens). Selecting a node or connection shows a read-only detail card and highlights the node’s immediate neighbours, dimming the rest.

Settings

The Settings panel holds display options that aren’t specific to a lens or appearance overlay — currently just Visualise unplaced nodes. It stays interactive even when the current lens has nothing to draw, so you can always switch it back on to see why.

Saving views

Save a view to capture the current lens, weighting mode, encodings, and viewport (zoom/pan) so you can return to it later from the toolbar’s saved-views dropdown. A saved view is metadata only — it never changes or duplicates the underlying map data.