Argo Lite: Open-Source Interactive Graph Exploration and Visualization in Browsers

TL;DR

Argo Lite is an open-source, browser-based interactive graph visualization tool that supports collaborative exploration, sharing, and cross-device use, enhancing web-based graph analysis and education.

Contribution

It introduces a novel in-browser platform for interactive, shareable graph visualization that supports incremental exploration and cross-platform compatibility.

Findings

Used by over 1,000 students at Georgia Tech

Supports high-performance rendering with WebGL

Enables sharing visualizations via URLs and widgets

Abstract

Graph data have become increasingly common. Visualizing them helps people better understand relations among entities. Unfortunately, existing graph visualization tools are primarily designed for single-person desktop use, offering limited support for interactive web-based exploration and online collaborative analysis. To address these issues, we have developed Argo Lite, a new in-browser interactive graph exploration and visualization tool. Argo Lite enables users to publish and share interactive graph visualizations as URLs and embedded web widgets. Users can explore graphs incrementally by adding more related nodes, such as highly cited papers cited by or citing a paper of interest in a citation network. Argo Lite works across devices and platforms, leveraging WebGL for high-performance rendering. Argo Lite has been used by over 1,000 students at Georgia Tech's Data and Visual Analytics class. Argo Lite may serve as a valuable open-source tool for advancing multiple CIKM research areas, from data presentation, to interfaces for information systems and more.