Visualization - Social Analyzer

Social Analyzer provides powerful visualization capabilities through force-directed graphs that help investigators understand relationships between profiles, metadata, and patterns.

Overview

The visualization module (visualize.js) uses Ixora, a force-directed graph library, to create interactive visualizations of:

Detected profiles and their relationships
Metadata extracted from profiles
Cross-platform connections
Multi-profile correlations

Force-Directed Graphs

Force-directed graphs display nodes (profiles, metadata) and edges (relationships) in a physics-based layout where connected items attract and unconnected items repel each other.

Benefits

Visual Pattern Recognition: Quickly identify clusters and connections
Interactive Exploration: Search, filter, and navigate through data
Relationship Mapping: See how profiles relate across platforms
Metadata Visualization: Display extracted information hierarchically

How It Works

From visualize.js:4-85, the visualization engine:

async function visualize_force_graph (req, detected, type) {
  const graph = new QBIxora('Social-Analyzer', false)
  const temp_filtered = detected.filter(item => item.status === 'good')
  
  if (temp_filtered.length > 0) {
    // Add root node for the username
    graph.add_node(req.body.string, req.body.string, {
      header: req.body.string
    })
    
    // Process each detected profile
    temp_filtered.forEach(site => {
      // Add profile node
      graph.add_node(site.link, site.link, {
        header: site.link
      })
      
      // Connect profile to username
      graph.add_edge(site.username, site.link, {
        width: 1
      })
      
      // Add metadata nodes if available
      if ('metadata' in site) {
        if (site.metadata !== 'unavailable' && site.metadata.length > 0) {
          site.metadata.forEach(meta => {
            if ('content' in meta) {
              // Create metadata label
              let temp_string = ''
              if ('name' in meta) {
                temp_string = meta.name + ' -> ' + meta.content
              } else if ('itemprop' in meta) {
                temp_string = meta.itemprop + ' -> ' + meta.content
              } else if ('property' in meta) {
                temp_string = meta.property + ' -> ' + meta.content
              }
              
              // Truncate long strings
              if (temp_string.length > 70) {
                temp_string = temp_string.substring(0, 70)
                  .replace(/\r?\n|\r/g, '') + '..'
              }
              
              // Add metadata node
              graph.add_node(temp_string, temp_string, {
                header: temp_string
              })
              
              // Connect metadata to profile
              graph.add_edge(site.link, temp_string, {
                width: 1
              })
            }
          })
        }
      }
    })
  }
  
  const ret_graph = graph.create_graph(
    '#ixora-graph',
    'Ixora random nodes example',
    'Search Box',
    'Search in extracted patterns',
    'https://github.com/qeeqbox/ixora',
    'Qeeqbox-ixora',
    ['search', 'tooltip'],
    10,
    100,
    graph.graph,
    'object',
    undefined,
    undefined
  )
  
  return ret_graph
}

Graph Structure

Node Types

Root Node: The searched username(s)
Profile Nodes: Detected social media profiles
Metadata Nodes: Extracted metadata from profiles

Edge Types

Username → Profile: Direct connection from search term to detected profile
Profile → Metadata: Connection from profile to its metadata

Example Structure

johndoe (root)
  ├─→ twitter.com/johndoe (profile)
  │    ├─→ og:title -> John Doe (metadata)
  │    ├─→ og:description -> Developer (metadata)
  │    └─→ og:image -> https://... (metadata)
  ├─→ github.com/johndoe (profile)
  │    ├─→ description -> Open Source Contributor (metadata)
  │    └─→ location -> San Francisco (metadata)
  └─→ linkedin.com/in/johndoe (profile)
       ├─→ og:title -> John Doe - LinkedIn (metadata)
       └─→ description -> Software Engineer (metadata)

Multi-Profile Visualization

When searching multiple usernames simultaneously, the visualization creates a hierarchical structure. From visualize.js:9-22:

if (req.body.group) {
  // Add root node for all usernames
  graph.add_node(req.body.string, req.body.string, {
    header: req.body.string
  })

  // Add individual username nodes
  req.body.string.split(',').forEach(username => {
    graph.add_node(username, username, {
      header: username
    })

    // Connect username to root
    graph.add_edge(username, req.body.string, {
      width: 1
    })
  })
}

Multi-Profile Structure

"johndoe,janedoe" (root)
  ├─→ johndoe (username)
  │    ├─→ twitter.com/johndoe
  │    └─→ github.com/johndoe
  └─→ janedoe (username)
       ├─→ twitter.com/janedoe
       └─→ github.com/janedoe

Usage

Basic Visualization

# Generate visualization (requires metadata)
node app.js --username "johndoe" --metadata

# View the graph
# Open http://localhost:9005/graph.html in browser

Multi-Profile Visualization

# Visualize multiple related profiles
node app.js --username "johndoe,jdoe,john_doe" --metadata

With Pattern Extraction

# Include extracted patterns in visualization
node app.js --username "johndoe" --metadata --extract

Visualization requires the --metadata flag. Without metadata, the graph will only show username and profile nodes without detailed information.

Interactive Features

The Ixora-powered visualization provides several interactive features:

Search Functionality

From visualize.js:73, the graph includes a search box:

const ret_graph = graph.create_graph(
  '#ixora-graph',
  'Ixora random nodes example',
  'Search Box',  // Search box label
  'Search in extracted patterns',  // Search placeholder
  'https://github.com/qeeqbox/ixora',
  'Qeeqbox-ixora',
  ['search', 'tooltip'],  // Enabled features
  // ...
)

Tooltips

Hover over nodes to see detailed information about:

Profile URLs
Metadata content
Relationships

Physics Simulation

The graph uses physics parameters:

Charge: 10 (repulsion strength)
Distance: 100 (preferred edge length)

These create natural clustering of related information.

Metadata Truncation

Long metadata strings are automatically truncated for better visualization. From visualize.js:51-54:

if (temp_string.length > 70) {
  temp_string = temp_string.substring(0, 70).replace(/\r?\n|\r/g, '') + '..'
} else {
  temp_string = temp_string.replace(/\r?\n|\r/g, '')
}

This ensures:

Readable node labels
Clean graph appearance
Better performance with many nodes

Accessing the Visualization

Web Interface

The visualization is available through the web app:

Start Social Analyzer:
npm start
Navigate to: http://localhost:9005/app.html
Enter username and enable metadata extraction
View results with the graph visualization

Direct Graph Access

The graph is saved to a static file:

# The graph HTML is saved at:
public/graph.html

# Access directly:
http://localhost:9005/graph.html

Graph Initialization

From visualize.js integration in helper.js:81-83:

let temp_ixora = new QBIxora('Social-Analyzer', false)
temp_ixora.save_base_html(public_graph_path)
temp_ixora = null

The base graph template is initialized when the application starts.

Practical Applications

OSINT Investigations

Visualization helps investigators:

Identify profile clusters
Find shared metadata across platforms
Discover hidden connections
Map digital footprints

Example Investigation Flow

# 1. Search with metadata extraction
node app.js --username "johndoe" --metadata --extract --filter good

# 2. View visualization
# Open http://localhost:9005/graph.html

# 3. Analyze patterns
# - Look for shared email addresses
# - Check for consistent profile descriptions
# - Identify cross-platform links

# 4. Expand search based on findings
node app.js --username "johndoe,newfindingusername" --metadata --extract

Multi-Target Correlation

# Compare multiple suspects
node app.js --username "suspect1,suspect2,suspect3" \
  --metadata --extract --filter good

# Visualization shows:
# - Shared profiles
# - Common metadata
# - Potential connections

Graph Data Export

The visualization function returns structured graph data:

return {
  graph: {
    nodes: [
      { id: 'johndoe', label: 'johndoe' },
      { id: 'twitter.com/johndoe', label: 'twitter.com/johndoe' },
      // ...
    ],
    links: [
      { source: 'johndoe', target: 'twitter.com/johndoe' },
      // ...
    ]
  }
}

This data can be:

Saved to JSON files
Imported into other visualization tools
Processed for further analysis

Performance Considerations

Node Limits

For optimal performance:

< 100 nodes: Smooth interaction
100-500 nodes: May experience slight lag
> 500 nodes: Consider filtering results

Optimization Strategies

Filter by status: Use --filter good to show only confirmed profiles
Limit websites: Use --top 50 or specific --websites
Selective metadata: Only extract metadata for high-priority platforms

# Optimized visualization command
node app.js --username "johndoe" \
  --metadata --filter good --top 50

Customization

The Ixora graph can be customized by modifying parameters in visualize.js:73:

const ret_graph = graph.create_graph(
  '#ixora-graph',           // Container ID
  'Social Analyzer Graph',  // Title
  'Search',                 // Search label
  'Search nodes...',        // Placeholder
  'https://...',            // Link URL
  'Project Name',           // Link text
  ['search', 'tooltip'],    // Features
  10,                       // Charge (repulsion)
  100,                      // Distance (edge length)
  graph.graph,              // Graph data
  'object',                 // Return type
  undefined,                // Custom callback
  undefined                 // Custom options
)

Experiment with charge and distance parameters to adjust how tightly nodes cluster together. Lower charge values create tighter clusters.

Troubleshooting

Empty Graph

Problem: Graph shows no nodes Solutions:

Ensure --metadata flag is enabled
Check that profiles were detected (--filter good)
Verify network connectivity

Too Many Nodes

Problem: Graph is cluttered and slow Solutions:

Use --filter good to show only confirmed profiles
Limit websites with --top N or --websites
Disable pattern extraction if not needed

Metadata Not Showing

Problem: Only username and profile nodes visible Solutions:

Confirm --metadata flag is set
Check that detected profiles have metadata
Try slow mode for better metadata extraction

Large graphs with 500+ nodes may impact browser performance. Consider filtering your results for better visualization experience.

​Overview

​Force-Directed Graphs

​Benefits

​How It Works

​Graph Structure

​Node Types

​Edge Types

​Example Structure

​Multi-Profile Visualization

​Multi-Profile Structure

​Usage

​Basic Visualization

​Multi-Profile Visualization

​With Pattern Extraction

​Interactive Features

​Search Functionality

​Tooltips

​Physics Simulation

​Metadata Truncation

​Accessing the Visualization

​Web Interface

​Direct Graph Access

​Graph Initialization

​Practical Applications

​OSINT Investigations

​Example Investigation Flow

​Multi-Target Correlation

​Graph Data Export

​Performance Considerations

​Node Limits

​Optimization Strategies

​Customization

​Troubleshooting

​Empty Graph

​Too Many Nodes

​Metadata Not Showing

Overview

Force-Directed Graphs

Benefits

How It Works

Graph Structure

Node Types

Edge Types

Example Structure

Multi-Profile Visualization

Multi-Profile Structure

Usage

Basic Visualization

Multi-Profile Visualization

With Pattern Extraction

Interactive Features

Search Functionality

Tooltips

Physics Simulation

Metadata Truncation

Accessing the Visualization

Web Interface

Direct Graph Access

Graph Initialization

Practical Applications

OSINT Investigations

Example Investigation Flow

Multi-Target Correlation

Graph Data Export

Performance Considerations

Node Limits

Optimization Strategies

Customization

Troubleshooting

Empty Graph

Too Many Nodes

Metadata Not Showing