Self-organizing neural network approach to the automatic layout of business process diagrams

A system comprising:

• a processor, a computer readable memory, and a non-transitory computer readable storage media;
• first program instructions to randomly select initial spatial position vectors, wi, for all graphical nodes in a process diagram, wherein a first node in the process diagram is in a first lane of the process diagram, wherein a second node in the process diagram is in a second lane of the process diagram;
• second program instructions to distribute the initial spatial position vectors, wi, uniformly within boundaries of multiple regions in the process diagram;
• third program instructions to, in each region in the process diagram, randomly generate a spatial input vector, x, within the boundaries of each region;
• fourth program instructions to, in each region in the process diagram, find a closest graphical node, wc, to a random input vector generated in said each region;
• fifth program instructions to, in each region in the process diagram, adjust a position of a winning graphical node that is the closest graphical node to the random input vector generated in said each region, wherein adjusting the position of the winning graphical node brings the winning graphical node closer to the random input vector;
• sixth program instructions to adjust a weight vector of each immutable closest graphical node in the process diagram, wherein each immutable closest graphical node wc has a fixed location on the process diagram;
• seventh program instructions to adjust positions of all non-immutable graphical objects in a topographical neighborhood N(k) of the closest graphical node wc that can cross a boundary of one or more regions from the multiple regions;
• and
• eighth program instructions to randomly generate the spatial input vector x, locate the closest graphical node wc, adjust the position of the winning graphical node, and adjust positions of all non-immutable graphical objects in the topographical neighborhood N(k) recursively until a maximum number of iterations, kmax is reached;
• and
• ninth program instructions to flip an arrangement of nodes in the second lane such that the first node and the second node are proximate to one another and are connected by a connector that does not overlap any other connectors in the second lane;
• and wherein
• the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.