Interactive Metro Map Editing

Abstract

Manual editing of a metro map is essential because many aesthetic and readability demands in map generation cannot be achieved by using a fully automatic method. In addition, a metro map should be updated when new metro lines are developed in a city. Considering that manually designing a metro map is time-consuming and requires expert skills, we present an interactive editing system that considers human knowledge and adjusts the layout to make it consistent with user expectations. In other words, only a few stations are controlled and the remaining stations are relocated by our system. Our system supports both curvilinear and octilinear layouts when creating metro maps. It solves an optimization problem, in which even spaces, route straightness, and maximum included angles at junctions are considered to obtain a curvilinear result. The system then rotates each edge to extend either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally while approximating the station positions provided by users to generate an octilinear layout. Experimental results, quantitative and qualitative evaluations, and user studies show that our editing system is easy to use and allows even non-professionals to design a metro map.