Definition:
Gephi is an open source software that is used for network visualization and analysis. Gephi is useful for looking for patterns and trends in a database. It makes use of a 3D rendered engine with which it displays graphics in real time.
History and development of Gephi
Gephi is an open source software platform designed for the visualization and exploration of all types of graphs and networks. It was first released in 2008 as part of a research project at the University of Technology of Compiègne, France. Since then, it has evolved thanks to the collaboration of an active community of developers and users. Gephi has become a popular tool among researchers, data journalists and social network analysts due to its ability to handle large volumes of data and its intuitive interface. The project has received support from several academic institutions and has been used in numerous scientific studies and publications.
Gephi use cases
Gephi is used in a variety of fields to analyze and visualize complex network data. In academia, researchers use Gephi to study social, biological and information networks, enabling a better understanding of the connections and underlying structure of the data. In data journalism, Gephi helps visualize complex relationships in stories of public interest, such as corruption networks or connections between corporate entities. Furthermore, in the business sector, companies use Gephi for customer and supplier network analysis, thus optimizing their business strategies. Gephi’s ability to handle large data sets and produce dynamic visualizations makes it a valuable tool for any professional working with complex networks.
The image in this section illustrates Gephi’s capabilities. It allows you to visualize the internal links of a web page, categorizing them by topic and sorting them according to their PageRank. Each color represents a specific category (such as blog, dictionary, services, etc.), while the size of the nodes reflects the PageRank value.
Gephi Extensions and Add-ons
Gephi is highly extensible thanks to its modular architecture, which allows users to customize and extend its functionality through the use of extensions and plug-ins. The Gephi community has developed a variety of plugins that add additional capabilities to the software, such as new layout algorithms, data import and export methods, and advanced analysis tools. Users can find and download these plugins through the“Gephi Marketplace“, an integrated platform within the software that facilitates the installation and management of extensions. Popular examples of extensions include the“GeoLayout” plugin, which allows visualization of geographic data on maps, and“SemanticWebImport“, which facilitates the import of data from RDF and SPARQL sources. The use of extensions not only enhances Gephi’s functionality, but also allows users to tailor the tool to their specific needs, whether in academic research, social network analysis, or complex data visualization in various areas. In addition, developers can create their own plugins using Gephi’s software development kit (SDK), thus contributing to the continued growth of the platform.
Most used extensions
- GeoLayout: Allows users to visualize geographic data on maps, which is especially useful for projects involving spatial or geographic analysis.
- SemanticWebImport: Facilitates the import of data from RDF and SPARQL sources, helping to integrate semantic data into network visualizations.
- Graph Streaming: Allows real-time visualization of dynamic networks through data transmission, ideal for live social network analysis or event monitoring.
- Multimode Networks Transformation: Helps transform multimode networks into unimodal networks, which is useful for simplifying and analyzing complex networks with multiple types of nodes.
- Force Atlas 2: An improved layout algorithm that provides clearer and more attractive visualizations of large networks, optimizing the distribution of nodes efficiently.