Patent ID: 7024419

Claim:
A method for converting network data into a data structure for use by a graphics display system, comprising the steps of: receiving network data representing a network with a plurality of elements and links between elements; and converting the network data into a data structure representing a grid arrangement of the plurality of elements where each element of the plurality of elements is placed on an individual grid position of a lattice, by: (a) assigning a global value to an initial grid arrangement of the plurality of elements which depends on the arrangement of one element of the plurality of elements with respect to the grid positions of said one element's neighbors; and (b) modifying the initial grid arrangement to generate another grid arrangement of the plurality of elements using a gradient method based on the global value of the grid arrangement of the plurality of elements, the plurality of elements of the another grid arrangement each being placed on an individual position of the lattice, wherein an initial element is selected from among the plurality of elements using the gradient method and a local energy of the initial element, the another grid arrangement is generated by transposing the initial element and another element, and the global value is determined based on a local energy of each of the plurality of elements.