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What is a difograph?

An introduction to difographs (dynamic information graphs) with examples.

A difograph is, essentially, a knowledge map that moves and has elements that can be updated asynchronously.

In its spatial presentation a difograph is a dynamic hub-and-spoke system of information gathering and presentation laid out in space with visible information encoded into the “spokes” (links) that join hubs together. It can exist in two or three dimensions. Information of all kinds and types can be attached to a particular hub (in a “panel”). It is constructed and managed using a difograph content management (DCM) system.

It builds on the ideas of websites, blogs and wikis and adds in new elements all its own (specifically, for example, the public representation of relative importance of hubs in the structure).

It is dynamic not only because the panels can be treated as wiki pages and the entire structure managed as a visually presented wiki but because the entire graph is itself in motion. In this way it is a special kind of knowledge map (see the Dynamic Knowledge Mapping section for details).
  
This distinguishes it from:

-- an infographic (a static information visualization)

-- an interactive infographic and

-- a difographic (a moving information visualization -- see Gapminder for example).
The foundation of the difograph is space and not time, as it is for many electronic presentations of information. It allows for a skate-and-dive approach to information retrieval.  

A note on the system used here.

This Cloud-based DCM system is by Thoughtgraph, Ltd. On a screen with enough real-estate it is a flower and furl, hub-and-spoke system with a multi-media Details panel attached to each hub. 

It primarily supports Debategraph, a tool for managing complex debates, now in use in over 100 countries.  I describe it as a flat 3D system. It requires Flash to display the spatial views. I am a Debategraph Associate but otherwise have no connection to the company.
NB: if you are reading this on a smartphone or other device not supporting Flash (or, in a general sense, on a screen without enough real-estate), then you are seeing a Box View of the difograph -- there are different views available for a difograph depending on circumstance and need. I recommend the spatial views (at least initially).

NB: To see examples of the difographs that can be built at DG, select any of the Bubble Views from the Views menu at the top of the screen.
 
this version July 19 2012
updated March 3 2013.
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