Click to drag nodes. Dashed links are resolved suits; green links are licensing.
Thomson Reuters published a rather abysmal infographic showing the “bowl of spaghetti” that is current flurry of patent-related suits in the mobile communications industry. So, inspired by a comment by John Firebaugh, I remade the visualization to better convey the network. That company in the center? Yeah, it’s the world’s largest, so little wonder it has the most incoming suits.
Implemented in D3.js.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<style>
.link {
fill: none;
stroke: #666;
stroke-width: 1.5px;
}
#licensing {
fill: green;
}
.link.licensing {
stroke: green;
}
.link.resolved {
stroke-dasharray: 0,2 1;
}
circle {
fill: #ccc;
stroke: #333;
stroke-width: 1.5px;
}
text {
font: 10px sans-serif;
pointer-events: none;
text-shadow: 0 1px 0 #fff, 1px 0 0 #fff, 0 -1px 0 #fff, -1px 0 0 #fff;
}
</style>
<body>
<script src="//d3js.org/d3.v3.min.js"></script>
<script>
// //blog.thomsonreuters.com/index.php/mobile-patent-suits-graphic-of-the-day/
var links = [
{source: "Microsoft", target: "Amazon", type: "licensing"},
{source: "Microsoft", target: "HTC", type: "licensing"},
{source: "Samsung", target: "Apple", type: "suit"},
{source: "Motorola", target: "Apple", type: "suit"},
{source: "Nokia", target: "Apple", type: "resolved"},
{source: "HTC", target: "Apple", type: "suit"},
{source: "Kodak", target: "Apple", type: "suit"},
{source: "Microsoft", target: "Barnes & Noble", type: "suit"},
{source: "Microsoft", target: "Foxconn", type: "suit"},
{source: "Oracle", target: "Google", type: "suit"},
{source: "Apple", target: "HTC", type: "suit"},
{source: "Microsoft", target: "Inventec", type: "suit"},
{source: "Samsung", target: "Kodak", type: "resolved"},
{source: "LG", target: "Kodak", type: "resolved"},
{source: "RIM", target: "Kodak", type: "suit"},
{source: "Sony", target: "LG", type: "suit"},
{source: "Kodak", target: "LG", type: "resolved"},
{source: "Apple", target: "Nokia", type: "resolved"},
{source: "Qualcomm", target: "Nokia", type: "resolved"},
{source: "Apple", target: "Motorola", type: "suit"},
{source: "Microsoft", target: "Motorola", type: "suit"},
{source: "Motorola", target: "Microsoft", type: "suit"},
{source: "Huawei", target: "ZTE", type: "suit"},
{source: "Ericsson", target: "ZTE", type: "suit"},
{source: "Kodak", target: "Samsung", type: "resolved"},
{source: "Apple", target: "Samsung", type: "suit"},
{source: "Kodak", target: "RIM", type: "suit"},
{source: "Nokia", target: "Qualcomm", type: "suit"}
];
var nodes = {};
// Compute the distinct nodes from the links.
links.forEach(function(link) {
link.source = nodes[link.source] || (nodes[link.source] = {name: link.source});
link.target = nodes[link.target] || (nodes[link.target] = {name: link.target});
});
var width = 960,
height = 500;
var force = d3.layout.force()
.nodes(d3.values(nodes))
.links(links)
.size([width, height])
.linkDistance(60)
.charge(-300)
.on("tick", tick)
.start();
var svg = d3.select("body").append("svg")
.attr("width", width)
.attr("height", height);
// Per-type markers, as they don't inherit styles.
svg.append("defs").selectAll("marker")
.data(["suit", "licensing", "resolved"])
.enter().append("marker")
.attr("id", function(d) { return d; })
.attr("viewBox", "0 -5 10 10")
.attr("refX", 15)
.attr("refY", -1.5)
.attr("markerWidth", 6)
.attr("markerHeight", 6)
.attr("orient", "auto")
.append("path")
.attr("d", "M0,-5L10,0L0,5");
var path = svg.append("g").selectAll("path")
.data(force.links())
.enter().append("path")
.attr("class", function(d) { return "link " + d.type; })
.attr("marker-end", function(d) { return "url(#" + d.type + ")"; });
var circle = svg.append("g").selectAll("circle")
.data(force.nodes())
.enter().append("circle")
.attr("r", 6)
.call(force.drag);
var text = svg.append("g").selectAll("text")
.data(force.nodes())
.enter().append("text")
.attr("x", 8)
.attr("y", ".31em")
.text(function(d) { return d.name; });
// Use elliptical arc path segments to doubly-encode directionality.
function tick() {
path.attr("d", linkArc);
circle.attr("transform", transform);
text.attr("transform", transform);
}
function linkArc(d) {
var dx = d.target.x - d.source.x,
dy = d.target.y - d.source.y,
dr = Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
return "M" + d.source.x + "," + d.source.y + "A" + dr + "," + dr + " 0 0,1 " + d.target.x + "," + d.target.y;
}
function transform(d) {
return "translate(" + d.x + "," + d.y + ")";
}
</script>