Mental Map

This article deals with the term from graph theory. The term from perceptual geography or environmental psychology can be found under cognitive map .

The formal definition of a graph is independent of a concrete, graphic representation ( layout ). Depending on the layout algorithm used, the display can vary greatly (e.g. orthogonal , organic, hierarchical or tree-like). ${\displaystyle G=(V,E)}$

The concept of the mental map is now closely related to interactive layout algorithms.

Imagine that the user of an application has created a certain representation of a graph and then wants to add another node. He has (probably mostly unconsciously) memorized the position of the individual nodes in his mind - Mental Map .

Of course, this does not mean that the user cannot also have memorized the course of the individual edges .

The problem with the interactive display is that when certain layout algorithms are used, not only the course of the individual edges but also the position of the individual nodes can change, so that the previously created layout and thus also the mental map is destroyed (e.g. when using an algorithm to minimize crossings and curved edges).

See also

• Graph theory
• Graph drawing

literature

• Giuseppe di Battista: Graph Drawing - Algorithms for the Visualization of Graphs . Prentice-Hall Inc. 1999. ISBN 0-13-301615-3 .