Enhancing Software Security Visualization through Adaptive Level of Detail (LoD) Mechanisms: A City Metaphor-Based Approach
Ishara Devendra, Chaman Wijesiriwardana, Prasad Wimalaratne · 2024
As software becomes larger and more complex, the need for effective visualization techniques that can adaptively display different levels of detail is increasing. With the visualization of software security vulnerabilities, software practitioners may understand the code issues well and look for necessary solutions. While there are existing solutions for visualizing software securely in complex codebases, a critical need still exists for novel interactive visualization techniques that can adaptively present various aspects of software systems, including security vulnerabilities, code structures, dependencies, relationships, and performance bottlenecks. As software systems become increasingly complex, the Level of Detail (LoD) mechanism encounters several challenges in enabling the efficient exploration and comprehension of sophisticated code structures in a user-friendly manner. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an advanced LoD mechanism, utilizing a city metaphor for software visualization. This approach enhances software visualization by dynamically adjusting the Level of Detail (LoD) presented based on user roles and tasks, code metrics, and real-time code changes. This method is expected to contribute to more effective outcomes, particularly in enhancing the effectiveness of content-aware LoD switching, real-time performance optimization, and user-centric customizations. Furthermore, this approach seamlessly integrates into the software development process, providing continuous feedback and enabling developers to identify security vulnerabilities and performance bottlenecks.