  Visual comparison is an important task in the analysis of multivariate
graphs. However, comparison of topological features of a graph with respect to
its data attributes for different portions of the data remains challenging
because there is no single visual representation that would suit the dynamic
nature of comparative analyses. To facilitate the visual comparison in
node-link diagrams, we propose the comparison lens as a focus+context approach
for dynamic layout adaptation. The core idea is to start with a topology-driven
layout and locally inject an attribute-driven layout based on the multivariate
similarity of node attributes. This facilitates comparison tasks on a local
level while preserving the user's overall mental map of the graph topology.
Additional visual enhancements, including color-coding, reduction of edge
clutter, and radial guides, further support the comparison. To fit the lens to
different comparison situations, it can be configured via user-controllable
parameters. To demonstrate the utility of our approach, we use it for
comparison in a real-world dataset of soccer players.
