{{notability, date=May 2011
Rhizome Navigation is a method of dynamically creating a navigation interface for data systems, such as websites and databases.
The navigation links presented to the user are not predefined, they are generated in response to user behavior, and analysis of other data.
The word rhizome is used as a metaphor, to compare the growth and structure of rhizome navigation interfaces with the complex organic growth and structure of
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
s, underground
plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. It supports leaf, leaves, flowers and fruits, transports water and dissolved substances between the roots and the shoots in the xylem and phloem, engages ...
s that send out
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...
s and shoots from their nodes.
Examples of use
A good example of rhizome navigation in use can be found in the program Enronic. In their investigation into the
Enron scandal
The Enron scandal was an accounting scandal sparked by American energy company Enron, Enron Corporation filing for bankruptcy after news of widespread internal fraud became public in October 2001, which led to the dissolution of its accounting ...
, the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport ...
made a large portion of Enron's email database available to the public. Enronic analyzes these email messages to display the relationships between Enron employees, based on who emailed whom and how often. The program uses Prefuse, an
open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...
Java
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
library for creating visual representations of data.
Rhizome Navigation is an open source project which aims to provide useful text and graphical navigation aids to users of websites and databases, by analysing the navigation selections of previous users.