Presenting results in graphical form; for example, histogram, scatterplot, or boxplot.
29
votes
15answers
2k views
What best practices should I follow when preparing plots?
I usually make my own idiosyncratic choices when preparing plots. However, I wonder if there are any best practices for generating plots.
Note: Rob's comment to an answer to this question is very ...
28
votes
8answers
2k views
How to visualize what ANOVA does?
What way (ways?) is there to visually explain what is ANOVA?
Any references, link(s) (R packages?) will be welcomed.
Thanks.
27
votes
7answers
2k views
Graphical data overview (summary) function in R
I'm sure I've come across a function like this in an R package before, but after extensive Googling I can't seem to find it anywhere. The function I'm thinking of produced a graphical summary for a ...
26
votes
3answers
552 views
Experimental evidence supporting Tufte-style visualizations?
Q: Does there exist experimental evidence supporting Tufte-style, minimalist, data-speak visualizations over the chart-junked visualizations of, say, Nigel Holmes?
I asked how to add chart-junk to R ...
25
votes
16answers
1k views
What is your favorite data visualization blog?
What is the best blog on data visualization?
I'm making this question a community wiki since it is highly subjective. Please limit each answer to one link.
24
votes
5answers
1k views
Software needed to scrape data from graph
Anybody have any experience with software (preferably free, preferably open source) that will take an image of data plotted on cartesian coordinates (a standard, everyday plot) and extract the ...
22
votes
3answers
19k views
How can I change the title of a legend in ggplot2? [closed]
I have a plot I'm making in ggplot2 to summarize data that is from a 2 x 4 x 3 celled dataset. I have been able to make panels for the 2 leveled variable using facet_grid(. ~ Age) and to set the x ...
20
votes
6answers
964 views
Is there a “hello, world” for statistical graphics?
In computer programming, there is a classic first program for learning/teaching a new language or system, called "hello, world". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_world_program
Is there a classic ...
20
votes
5answers
758 views
Line graph has too many lines, is there a better solution?
I'm trying to graph the number of actions by users (in this case, "likes") over time.
So I have "Number of actions" as my y-axis, my x-axis is time (weeks), and each line represents one user.
My ...
20
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I find peaks in a dataset?
If I have a data set that produces a graph such as the following, how would I algorithmically determine the x-values of the peaks shown (in this case three of them):
19
votes
4answers
925 views
Modern successor to Exploratory Data Analysis by Tukey?
I've been reading Tukey's book "Exploratory Data Analysis". Being written in 1977, the book emphasizes paper/pencil methods. Is there a more 'modern' successor which takes into account that we can ...
18
votes
2answers
413 views
Good online resource with tips on graphing association between two numeric variables under various conditions
Context:
Over the while I've acquired a set of heuristics on how to effectively plot the association between two numeric variables. I imagine most people who work with data would have a similar set ...
17
votes
2answers
887 views
Is there a boxplot variant for Poisson distributed data?
I'd like to know if there is a boxplot variant adapted to Poisson distributed data (or possibly other distributions)?
With a Gaussian distribution, whiskers placed at L = Q1 - 1.5 IQR and U = Q3 + ...
17
votes
6answers
730 views
What are alternatives to broken axes?
Users are often tempted to break axis values to present data of different orders of magnitude on the same graph (see here). While this may be convenient it's not always the preferred way of displaying ...
17
votes
7answers
4k views
How to do community detection in a weighted social network/graph?
I'm wondering if someone could suggest what are good starting points when it comes to performing community detection/graph partitioning/clustering on a graph that has weighted, undirected edges. The ...
17
votes
2answers
685 views
How to visualize an enormous sparse contingency table?
I have two variables: Drug Name (DN) and corresponding Adverse Events (AE), which stand in a many-to-many relation. There are 33,556 drug names and 9,516 adverse events. The sample size is about 5.8 ...
16
votes
13answers
1k views
Software for easy-yet-robust data exploration
In my attempts to fight spreadsheet mayhem, I am often evangelical in pushing for more robust tools such as true statistics software (R, Stata, and the like). Recently, I was challenged on this view ...
16
votes
3answers
2k views
When are Log scales appropriate?
I've read that using log scales when charting/graphing is appropriate in certain circumstances, like the y-axis in a time series chart. However, I've not been able to find a definitive explanation as ...
16
votes
6answers
2k views
Open source tools for visualizing multi-dimensional data?
Besides gnuplot and ggobi, what open source tools are people using for visualizing multi-dimensional data?
Gnuplot is more or less a basic plotting package.
Ggobi can do a number of nifty things, ...
16
votes
3answers
934 views
Visualizing a million, PCA edition
Is it possible to visualize the output of Principal Component Analysis in ways that give more insight than just summary tables? Is it possible to do it when the number of observations is large, say ...
16
votes
2answers
2k views
Plotting sparklines in R
I would like to use R to plot out something like this:
It would seem possible but highly complex to keep track of the coordinates, width, height, etc. Intuitively it would seem best to treat each ...
16
votes
4answers
780 views
How to visualize/understand what a neural network is doing?
Neural networks are often treated as "black boxes" due to their complex structure. This is not ideal, as it is often beneficial to have an intuitive grasp of how a model is working internally. What ...
15
votes
3answers
2k views
Visualizing Likert Item Response Data
What are good ways to visualize set of Likert responses?
For example, a set of items inquiring about the importance of X to one's decisions about A, B, C, D, E, F & G? Is there something better ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Problems with pie charts
There seems to be in increasing discussion about pie charts.
The main arguments against it seem to be:
Area is perceived with less power than length.
Pie charts have very low data-point-to-pixel ...
15
votes
2answers
356 views
Most effective use of colour in heat/contour maps
It's quite common to use heat/contour maps when presenting time-frequency EEG findings. The colour scheme often chosen (and one that I like and use) is the "jet" colour scheme (see e.g., google image ...
14
votes
4answers
901 views
What are good data visualization techniques to compare distributions?
I am writing my PhD thesis and I've realized that I rely excessively in box plots in order to compare distributions. Which other alternatives do you like for achieving this task?
I'd also like to ask ...
14
votes
3answers
531 views
If gauge charts are bad, why do cars have gauges?
It seems like data visualization experts generally disapprove of gauge charts (see here: What do you call a chart that looks like a half pie chart with a needle indicating a percentage?). The primary ...
14
votes
5answers
1k views
Resources for learning to create data visualizations?
I'm interested in learning how to create the type of visualizations you see at http://flowingdata.com and informationisbeautiful. EDIT: Meaning, visualizations that are interesting in of themselves -- ...
14
votes
2answers
331 views
Combining classifiers by flipping a coin
I am studying a machine learning course and the lecture slides contain information what I find contradicting with the recommended book.
The problem is the following: there are three classifiers:
...
13
votes
3answers
2k views
What's a good way to use R to make a scatterplot that separates the data by treatment?
I'm very new with R and stats in general, but I need to make a scatterplot that I think might be beyond its native capacities.
I have a couple of vectors of observations and I want to make a ...
13
votes
8answers
354 views
What are essential rules for designing and producing plots?
Background to Question:
Previously on Cross Validated, we have had questions on:
What is best practice when preparing plots?
What are good tips available online for plotting two numeric variables?
...
13
votes
8answers
1k views
Visualization software for clustering
I want to cluster ~22000 points. Many clustering algorithms work better with higher quality initial guesses. What tools exist that can give me a good idea of the rough shape of the data?
I do want to ...
13
votes
3answers
576 views
When is interactive data visualization useful to use?
While preparing for a talk I will give soon, I recently started digging into two major (Free) tools for interactive data visualization: GGobi and mondrian - both offer a great range of capabilities ...
13
votes
5answers
1k views
A good way to show lots of data graphically
I'm working on a project that involves 14 variables and 345,000 observations for housing data (things like year built, square footage, price sold, county of residence, etc). I'm concerned with trying ...
13
votes
5answers
572 views
Ways to reduce high dimensional data for visualization
I'm working on a 2D physical simulation and I am collecting data in time at several points. These discrete points are along vertical lines, with multiple lines in the axial direction. This makes the ...
13
votes
3answers
965 views
What is this type of circular-link visualization called?
Does this type of chart have a name? More importantly, is there any visualization library I can use to produce it?
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/12/15/us/politics/DEBATE.html
13
votes
1answer
237 views
Is there a style guide for statistical graphs intended for presentations?
I'm looking for advice/resources/recommendations on how to best format graphs for presentations. From experience, I know that a graph produced for print publication doesn't "scale" very well when one ...
12
votes
7answers
4k views
What is the easiest way to create publication-quality plots under Linux?
We may assume that we have CSV file and we want a very basic line plot with several lines on one plot and a simple legend.
12
votes
4answers
1k views
Follow up: In a mixed within-between ANOVA plot estimated SEs or actual SEs?
I am currently finishing a paper and stumbled upon this question from yesterday which led me to pose the same question to myself. Is it better to provide my graph with the actual standard error from ...
12
votes
2answers
784 views
12
votes
2answers
2k views
Visualizing the intersections of many sets
Is there a visualization model that is good for showing the intersection overlap of many sets?
I am thinking something like Venn diagrams but that somehow might lend itself better to a larger number ...
12
votes
4answers
377 views
Resources for learning to use (/create) dynamic (/interactive) statistical visualization
I would like to learn a bit more on interactive data visualization (zooming, pointing, brushing, point-mapping and so on). I would welcome any:
Tutorial/guide/book(?)/video on how to use such ...
12
votes
4answers
620 views
What graphical techniques are used in Structural Equation Modeling?
I'm curious if there are graphical techniques particular, or more applicable, to structural equation modeling. I guess this could fall into categories for exploratory tools for covariance analysis or ...
12
votes
2answers
336 views
How should I organize my poster presentation?
I am currently in the process of making a poster presentation and would like some advice (or reference to advice) about some of the aspects of the graphic. For examples posters I am talking about see ...
12
votes
2answers
822 views
Are gridlines and grey backgrounds chartjunk and should they be used only on an exception basis?
It seems that most authorities agree that dark or otherwise prominent gridlines in plots are "chartjunk" by any reasonable definition and distract the viewer from the message in the main body of the ...
11
votes
4answers
1k views
More efficient plot functions in R when millions of points are present?
I find R can take a long time to generate plots when millions of points are present - unsurprising given that points are plotted individually.
Many of the points overlap and form a black mass and a ...
11
votes
4answers
3k views
Visualizing Likert responses using R or SPSS
I have 82 respondents in 2 groups (43 in Group A and 39 in Group B) that completed a survey of 65 Likert questions each ranging from 1 – 5 (strongly agree - strongly disagree). I therefore have a ...
11
votes
4answers
383 views
How can I improve my analysis of the effects of reputation on voting?
Recently I had done some analysis of the effects of reputation on upvotes (see the blog-post), and subsequently I had a few questions about possibly more enlightening (or more appropriate) analysis ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
Generating visually appealing density heat maps in R
While I know that there are a series of functions for generating heat maps in R, the problem is that I'm unable to produce visually appealing maps. For example, the images below are good examples of ...
11
votes
5answers
783 views
How to make a good color intensity scale?
I am by no means good in statistics, but I think I have come to the right place.
My question is simple:
My problem consists of comparing the population of several states in a small country, but some ...
