# MetroSets: Visualizing Sets as Metro Maps

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.09367 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.09367/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 21 Aug 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [C5: Towards Better Conversation Comprehension and Contextual Continuity for ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.05567/) (2023)
- [Brand Network Booster: A new system for improving brand connectivity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.16228/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We propose MetroSets, a new, flexible online tool for visualizing set systems using the metro map metaphor. We model a given set system as a hypergraph H = (V, S), consisting of a set V of vertices and a set S, which contains subsets of V called hyperedges. Our system then computes a metro map representation of H, where each hyperedge E in S corresponds to a metro line and each vertex corresponds to a metro station. Vertices that appear in two or more hyperedges are drawn as interchanges in the metro map, connecting the different sets. MetroSets is based on a modular 4-step pipeline which constructs and optimizes a path-based hypergraph support, which is then drawn and schematized using metro map layout algorithms. We propose and implement multiple algorithms for each step of the MetroSet pipeline and provide a functional prototype with easy-to-use preset configurations. Furthermore, using several real-world datasets, we perform an extensive quantitative evaluation of the impact of different pipeline stages on desirable properties of the generated maps, such as octolinearity, monotonicity, and edge uniformity.