Self-Sorting Map: An Efficient Algorithm for Presenting Multimedia Data in Structured Layouts

This paper presents the Self-Sorting Map (SSM), a novel algorithm for organizing and presenting multimedia data. Given a set of data items and a dissimilarity measure between each pair of them, the SSM places each item into a unique cell of a structured layout, where the most related items are placed together and the unrelated ones are spread apart. The algorithm integrates ideas from dimension reduction, sorting, and data clustering algorithms. Instead of solving the continuous optimization problem that other dimension reduction approaches do, the SSM transforms it into a discrete labeling problem. As a result, it can organize a set of data into a structured layout without overlap, providing a simple and intuitive presentation. The algorithm is designed for sorting all data items in parallel, making it possible to arrange millions of items in seconds. Experiments on different types of data demonstrate the SSM’s versatility in a variety of applications, ranging from positioning city names by proximities to presenting images according to visual similarities, to visualizing semantic relatedness between Wikipedia articles.