BilderCHInfra
Bilder Schweizer Infrastrukturen (BilderCHInfra)
Visualising Switzerland’s complex infrastructure networks An interdisciplinary research project by the Institute of Geomatics and the Institute of Architecture , FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.
✨ About the Project
BilderCHInfra explores ways to see, understand, and interact with complex , tangible and intangible infrastructures. This repository showcases a collection of experimental prototypes and interactive visualisations, created for different research questions and use cases.
🧭 Visualisation Showcases
Below you’ll find selected interactive examples developed during the project. Each prototype explores a different perspective or focus on infrastructure data.
🔄 Smooth Display Transitions
Seamless transitions between different visual states to support spatial and cognitive continuity (Tominski et al. (2021)).
🧬 BioFabric Visualisations
Network-centric representations inspired by BioFabric layouts, extended with temporal and spatial dimensions (Longabaugh (2012)).
🌐 Radial Network Visualisation (RNV)
Radial layouts for exploring relationships between heterogeneous infrastructure elements.
- 🔗 RNV – Tangible & Intangible
- 🧭 RNV – Interactive Legend
- ✨ RNV – Hover Geometry
- 🇨🇭 RNV – Swiss Use Case 1
- 🇨🇭 RNV – Swiss Use Case 2
- 🇨🇭 RNV – Swiss Use Case 3
🧑💻 Interactive & User-Guided
Exploratory prototypes focusing on user-driven interaction and narrative control.
🖼️ Preview
🔬 Research Context
This work contributes to ongoing research on:
- Infrastructure as spatial and relational systems
- Visual analytics for complex networks, inclusing the combination of spatial and non-spatial networks
- Interdisciplinary methods between architecture & geomatics
- Exploratory and interactive data visualisation
Project publications:
- Bleisch, S. and Bronowicz, C.: Supporting understanding of complex spatio-temporal relationships with multi-perspective visualizations linked through smooth display transitions, Abstr. Int. Cartogr. Assoc., 10, 22, https://doi.org/10.5194/ica-abs-10-22-2025, 2025.
👣 Next Steps
📎 Notes
- All visualisations are research prototypes and may evolve over time.
- Visualisations are created using d3.js
Let’s see the random data collection
🤝 Acknowledgements
Developed at FHNW, Institute of Geomatics in close collaboration between researchers from the institute of architecture. The project “Bilder Schweizer Infrastrukturen” (BilderCHInfra) was funded by Stiftung FHNW.
📖 Literature
Longabaugh, W.J. Combing the hairball with BioFabric: a new approach for visualization of large networks. BMC Bioinformatics 13, 275 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-13-275
Tominski, C., Andrienko, G., Andrienko, N., Bleisch, S., Fabrikant, S. I., Mayr, E., Miksch, S., Pohl, M., & Skupin, A. (2021). Toward flexible visual analytics augmented through smooth display transitions. Visual Informatics, 5(3), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visinf.2021.06.004
✨ Feel free to explore, fork, and build upon these ideas.