NY Graph is a place for people to learn about and discuss graph structures, graph theory, graph databases and related topics. We host technical presentations and lectures, product demos, lightning talks, seminars, town hall-style open forums and hands-on tutorials, in addition to less-structured monthly gatherings.

Why graphs? Why now?
Graph structures and methods are being used everywhere. As the size of datasets being generated, processed, and presented continues to grow, the relative strengths and weaknesses of different data structures, including graphs, have become more and more significant in everyday applications. Meanwhile, wider awareness of graph concepts (thanks in large part to the popularity of online social networks and widespread adoption of machine learning techniques) has increased the use of graph methods in a variety of fields. As a result, the last few years have seen renewed interest in academic circles, and a large number of companies and independent efforts putting a great deal of effort into creating faster, more scalable, and more reliable graph databases and ever more powerful interfaces.

Why another meetup? Isn't [NoSQL NYC, etc.] enough?
We don't think so. There are many great NoSQL meetups, but the current pace of innovation in graph database technology and graph theory is such that keeping on top of developments requires an immense amount of dedication. Our intention is to save our members time, money, and effort by providing a venue for sharing domain-specific experiences and best practices, scheduling useful programs for people at all levels of knowledge and experience, and creating a strong local community around graphs.

Am I missing something? What are graphs?
The following Wikipedia entries provide a decent primer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_(data_structure)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_database