OUTLINE

• Data Visualization
• Use of coordinate system in data visualization
• Use of colors to represent data values
• Representing amounts, distribution and proportions
USE OF COORDINATE SYSTEM IN DATA
VISUALIZATION
• For regular 2D visualizations, two numbers are required to uniquely
specify a point, so we need two position scales
• The combination of set of position scales and their relative geometric
arrangements is called a coordinate system
1) Cartesian coordinates
• Most widely used coordinate system for data visualization
• Each location is uniquely specified by an x and a y value
• The two axes are continuous position scales, and they can represent
both positive, negative and real numbers
• Tall & narrow figure emphasizes change along y axis
• Short & wide figure emphasizes change along x axis
• Proper aspect ration should be chosen to ensure that important
differences in position are noticeable
USE OF COORDINATE SYSTEM IN DATA
VISUALIZATION

2) Nonlinear Axes
• Position scales in cartesian coordinate system are linear
• There are scenarios where nonlinear scales are preferred
• In a nonlinear scale even spacing in data units corresponds to uneven
spacing in the visualization
• Most commonly used nonlinear scale is logarithmic scale
• Log scales are linear in multiplication, such that a unit step on the scale
corresponds to multiplication with a fixed value
USE OF COORDINATE SYSTEM IN DATA
VISUALIZATION
USE OF COORDINATE SYSTEM IN DATA
VISUALIZATION
3) Coordinate system with curved Axes
• The coordinate system where the axes themselves are curved, e.g. polar
coordinate system
• In Polar coordinate system, positions are specified via an angle and a
radial distance from the origin, and therefore the angle axis is circular
• Polar coordinates can be useful for data of a periodic nature
• If we want to show how some quantity varies over the year, it can be
appropriate to use polar coordinates with the angle coordinate
specifying each day
USE OF COORDINATE SYSTEM IN DATA
VISUALIZATION
USE OF COLORS TO REPRESENT DATA VALUES
• Three fundamental use cases for color in data visualization
i) To distinguish groups of data from each other
ii) To represent data values
iii) To highlight
i) Color as a tool to distinguish
• We frequently use color as a means to distinguish discrete items or
groups that do not have an intrinsic order, such as different countries on
a map or different manufactures of certain product
• In this case, qualitative color scale is used
• Such color scale contains finite set of specific colors that are chosen to
look clearly distinct from each other
USE OF COLORS TO REPRESENT DATA VALUES
• In qualitative color scale, color should not create the impression of an
order (like, sequence of colors that get successively lighter)
USE OF COLORS TO REPRESENT DATA VALUES
USE OF COLORS TO REPRESENT DATA VALUES
ii) Color as a tool to represent data values
• Colors can also be used to represent quantitative data values such as
income, temperature or speed
• In this case, sequential color scale is used
• Such color scale contains sequence of colors that clearly indicate which
values are larger or smaller than which other values
• Sequential scales can be based on a single hue (e.g. from dark blue to
light blue) or on multiple hues (e.g. from dark red to light yellow)
USE OF COLORS TO REPRESENT DATA VALUES
USE OF COLORS TO REPRESENT DATA VALUES
iii) Color as a tool to highlight
• Colors can be an effective tool to highlight specific elements in the data
• There may be specific categories or values in the dataset that carry key
information can be highlighted
• This effect can be achieved with accent color scales, which are color
scales that contain both a set of subdued colors and a matching set of
stronger, darker and/or more saturated colors
REPRESENTING AMOUNTS, DISTRIBUTION AND
PROPORTIONS
i) Amounts
• Most common approach to visualize amounts is using bars, either
vertically or horizontally
• Also dots can be placed at the locations where the corresponding bar
would end
REPRESENTING AMOUNTS, DISTRIBUTION AND
PROPORTIONS
• To show amounts of two or more categories, bars can be stacked or
grouped
• Also, categories can be mapped on x and y axis and amounts can be
shown by color, via a heatmap
REPRESENTING AMOUNTS, DISTRIBUTION AND
PROPORTIONS
ii) Distributions
• Histograms and density plots provide most intuitive visualizations of a
distribution (e.g. temperature distribution throughout the year)
REPRESENTING AMOUNTS, DISTRIBUTION AND
PROPORTIONS
• Boxplots, violin plots, strip charts are useful when we want to visualize
many distributions at once and/or if we are primarily interested in
overall shift among the distributions
• Stacked histograms and overlapping densities allow more in-depth
comparison of smaller number of distributions
• Ridgeline plots are useful alternative to violin plots and useful for
visualizing very large number of distributions
REPRESENTING AMOUNTS, DISTRIBUTION AND
PROPORTIONS
iii) Proportions
• Can be visualized as pie charts, side by side bars or stacked bars
• Individual pieces cab ne easily compared in side-by-side bars
• Stacked bars are useful for comparing multiple set of proportions
REPRESENTING AMOUNTS, DISTRIBUTION AND
PROPORTIONS

• When proportions are specified according to multiple grouping variables