Project Overview

The Dune Interactive Network Graph project began with a thorough analysis of the text from the first Dune novel by Frank Herbert. The first step involved assigning each character an ID number— for example, Paul Atreides was given the ID number 1 and classified as "Atreides." Once this character catalog was complete, every interaction between characters in the novel was identified and recorded, resulting in just over 700 interactions. For each interaction, the quality of the interaction was assessed, noting whether it was significant or not. If an interaction was deemed significant, a brief description was included to provide context.

After organizing the raw data, the next step involved correlating it with visual elements to enhance its presentation. The data was converted into a JSON script, allowing for various fields to be used for visual representation. This transformation laid the foundation for the interactive network graph, which would later visually map the relationships and interactions between characters in the Dune universe, providing an insightful and engaging way to explore the intricate web of connections within the story.

Results

To create the visual graph, a series of elements were carefully conceptualized and visualized. The number of interactions a character had was represented by the size of their corresponding dot (measured in pixels), with larger dots indicating more frequent interactions. The width of the line connecting two characters was proportional to the number of interactions between them, also measured in pixels. The color of each dot was determined by the character's faction loyalty, while the color of the lines represented the median quality of the interaction between the two characters.

The final product consists of an interactive graph system, featuring a character description tab that appears when a user clicks on a character's dot. A legend and search feature are also included for ease of navigation and reference. Though the design is relatively simple, the system is fully automated using JavaScript, allowing for seamless integration of additional data. This means that, should the project be expanded to include characters and interactions from the other Dune novels, new data can be imported into the system without disruption, and it will automatically adjust and incorporate the additional information into the existing framework.