Connection Cartographer: Geographically Representing Host-Based Network Connections in Real-Time with a Focus on Usability

Many computer users lack awareness of the connections their computers make to hosts on the Internet. Some realtime tools exist for host-based network monitoring, but they are too complex for average computer users as they require expert knowledge to use and interpret. Connection Cartographer is a tool to let non-expert users visualize geographical information about their network connections in real time. It can help users understand how their computers connect to hosts on the Internet and help them identify unknown and potentially malicious communications from untrusted sources. The tool's design employs common metaphors and requires very little knowledge of networking concepts for users to interact and interpret its visualizations. 48 people participated in a user study in which they completed an interactive walkthrough of the tool and filled out a brief questionnaire. Results indicate the tool is useful and easy to use for all types of computer users.