Entity network graph visualizationbacklog_item

journalismwebinvestigationfrontendgraph
1 min read · Edit on Pyrite

Problem

"Follow the money" investigations center on relationship networks: who owns what, who funds whom, who sits on which boards. A visual network graph lets journalists see the structure, discover indirect connections, and communicate complex relationships.

Scope

  • Force-directed graph component (SvelteKit, likely using D3 or a Svelte graph library)
  • Nodes: persons, organizations, assets, accounts (sized by importance, colored by type)
  • Edges: ownership, membership, funding, investigation relationships (styled by type, labeled with role/percentage)
  • Interactive: drag nodes, zoom, pan, click to select
  • Selection: click a node to highlight its connections, show entity summary panel
  • Expand/collapse: double-click to expand a node's connections (lazy-load from API)
  • Filters: show/hide edge types, filter by importance threshold, time period
  • Layout presets: force-directed (default), hierarchical (ownership chains), circular
  • Multi-hop paths: highlight shortest path between two selected entities
  • Export: PNG/SVG for publication use
  • Data Source

  • Uses `investigation_network` MCP tool / REST API endpoint
  • Configurable depth (1-3 hops from center entity)
  • Loads connection entries (ownership, membership, funding) as edges
  • Acceptance Criteria

  • Graph renders 200+ entity networks without lag
  • Ownership chains visible through shell company layers
  • Path highlighting between two entities works
  • Export produces publication-quality SVG
  • Responsive to real-time updates (new connection created via MCP → graph updates)