IFs Network Diagram

What is the IFs Network Diagram?  

The IFs Network Diagram is an interactive visualization of the internal structure of the International Futures (IFs) model. It shows the variable and parameter relationships in IFs and how they influence one another. It is a map of the IFs model’s logic. You can use it to answer questions like “What affects this variable?” or “What does this variable affect?” Users can explore how major system sectors interact; at the variable level, they can interrogate specific influence pathways by examining drivers (inputs), outcomes (outputs), degrees of separation, and shortest paths between variables. In this way, the IFs Network Diagram functions as a transparency and learning tool, allowing users to inspect and reason about what influences what is within the IFs system, rather than treating the model as a black box.

Views

The diagram has three levels:  

• Macro view: Shows the 11 major categories in IFs

• Use this view to see the big picture of how sectors connect  

• Meso view: Shows the subcategories within each meso category and their connections  

• Use this view to gain more detail without seeing every variable  

• Variable view: Shows all individual variables and parameters (nodes) and their links  

• Use this to explore specific variables  

Macro & Meso Interactions:  

• Hover over a node to see an information box (Tool Box)  

• Click and drag a node to better visualize connections or move it around the screen  

Basic Controls  

These options control what you see in the diagram:  

• Search for variables (Top Right Corner):  

• Type a variable or parameter name  

• Click it in the search box to highlight it in the diagram  

• Zoom In / Zoom Out / Fit to Screen (Bottom Left Corner):

             

• Download:
• Download a .png image of the current view  

         

• Help Panel:  

• Opens pop-up with link to full instructions  

Variable View

Some features are only available in Variable View:  

                                 

• Toggle Layouts – switch between:
  • Default: shows all selected nodes and their connections

• Shortest Path: shows the shortest path between two nodes, if they’re connected in the model  

• If a node was selected in Default view, it becomes the origin node

• Use the search box to choose the end node  

• Nearest Neighbor: shows all nodes that are connected to the selected root node, up to three degrees away

• Degree 1 = directly connected

• Degree 2 = connected through one intermediate node  

• Degree 3 = connected through two intermediate nodes  

• Use the slider to change the number of degrees shown  

Interactive Menu  

Use the interactive menu to control which parts of the network are visible:  

• Show/Hide Interactive Menu: opens or closes the list of all nodes  

• Interactive Menu:  

• You can check/uncheck:  

• Individual nodes  

• Submodules

• Major categories  

• Checked = visible

• Unchecked = grayed out in the display  

• Unselect all: “Hides” (grays out) all nodes at once  

• Allows you to select specific nodes of interest  

• Reset: Returns to default layout for your current view  

Working with Nodes

When you click on a node in the variable view, it becomes the root node. From there, you can explore what drives it and what it influences.

 

Node information:  

• Tool box (hover)  

• Appears when you hover over a node  

• Shows: node name, display name, explanation, submodule, and segment

• Tool tip (click)  

• Appears when you click a node (in Default view)  

• Shows:  

• All inputs and outputs to/from that node  

• Each connection’s segment, name, and display name  

• A shortest path button to jump into Shortest Path mode  

Directions and degrees:  

• When you select a node:  

• It becomes the root node

• Drivers = inputs to the root node

• Outcomes = outputs from the root node

• Degrees = how many steps away another node is  

• In the tool tip, you can filter connections:  

• Both – show both inputs and outputs  

• Only <- show only inputs to the selected node

• Only -> show only outputs from the selected node  

Typical Workflows

1. Find what affects a variable (its drivers)  

1. Go to variable view

1. Search for the variable and click it

1. In the Tool Tip, choose Only <- to see its inputs

1. Find what a variable influences (its outcomes)

1. Go to variable view

1. Search for the variable and click it

1. In the Tool Tip, choose Only -> to see its outputs

1. Trace a chain of influence between two variables

1. In Default, click the starting variable

1. Click Shortest Path in the Tool Tip

1. Use the search box to choose the end variable

1. The tool will show the shortest connection pathway between them  

1. See all neighbors of a key variable

1. Switch to Nearest Neighbor layout

1. Choose your root node (or click one in Default first)

1. Use the degree slider to expand from immediate neighbors to broader connections  

Show Parameters

The Show Parameters button controls whether model parameters are displayed alongside variables in the Variable View.

Parameters represent adjustable model inputs that influence how variables behave in the IFs model. While variables represent outcomes calculated by the model, parameters define assumptions, coefficients, or policy settings that affect those outcomes.

When Show Parameters is turned off (default):

• Only variables are displayed in the diagram.

• The network shows relationships between model outcomes.

When Show Parameters is turned on:

• Parameter nodes appear alongside variables.

• Additional links become visible showing how parameters influence variables in the model.

This option is useful when users want to:

• Explore policy levers or assumptions that affect a variable.

• Understand how model parameters feed into the calculation of outcomes.

• Trace the influence of parameters through the network.

When parameters are displayed:

• Parameter nodes appear visually distinct from variable nodes.

• Their positions are determined by the same linkage structure as variables, ensuring that their placement reflects their relationships within the model.

Understanding Node Size and Linkages (how backward/forward linkages affect node size)

Understanding Arrows and Direction of Influence