http://forums.flowingdata.com/ Strength in Numbers en Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:59:09 +0000 http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/dealing-with-clunky-labels-like-income-levels#post-2527 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:49:14 +0000 Kim Rees 2527@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Hi KevinP,</p> <p>I would suggest moving away from a pie chart. It sounds like you could do this side-by-side comparison with a grouped bar chart. That way it would both be easy to compare, and the axis labeling would be easy and intuitive.</p> <p>Kim </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/dealing-with-clunky-labels-like-income-levels#post-2526 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:59:05 +0000 KevinP 2526@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>I live in Korea and making various charts regarding schooling based on some data I have. One of the charts regards monthly income level, but the labels are very lengthy, especially as I have to use local currency.This gives me levels like:</p> <p>W100,000 or below<br /> W100,100,000 to 20,010,000<br /> W200,100,010 to 30,010,000<br /> (etc)<br /> W70,010,010 or above</p> <p>The two categories at the extremes are okay, but the middle ones (xxxx to xxxx) are awfully long and look horrible on a pie chart. (It sorta has to be a pie or donut chart because I'm setting up other pie charts next to it for comparison; otherwise a bar graph would be better.)</p> <p>I can't just put '(upper limit) or below' because, even though most people would understand it, it's inaccurate. These categories do not include the previous one.</p> <p>I may have to put in a legend, but I'm resisting this because legends make data less obvious as the eye has to bounce back and forth between the legend and the graph. Plus the other charts that it will be adjacent to do not need legends so I'd like to be consistent.</p> <p>Is there a simpler way to make these labels readable that I'm overlooking?</p> <p>(My audience is people residing in Korea so I have to kep the currency local. Converting it to $US makes some funky categories anyway.) </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/svg-map-of-canadian-census-tracts#post-2522 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:52:21 +0000 drivenbydata 2522@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>I wrote a Python library for creating SVG maps from shapefiles. You know where to get a shapefile of Canadian census tracts? </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/svg-map-of-canadian-census-tracts#post-2521 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:22:26 +0000 fuller.daniel 2521@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Hi, </p> <p>I just did the US county themed map tutorial. I would like to do something similar with Canadian census tracts and census data. Has anyone come across a Canadian census tract SVG file? I've done some searching and haven't found anything. If one is not available any suggestions on creating a SVG file for Canadian census tracts. </p> <p>Thanks, </p> <p>Dan </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/changing-scale-of-a-treemap#post-2520 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:35:57 +0000 dnallen 2520@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>You can use the <code>scale</code> argument in the <code>map.market</code> command. Continuing Nathan’s example you could do:</p> <p><code>map.market(id=data$id, area=data$views, group=data$category, color=data$comments, main=&quot;FlowingData Map&quot;,scale=50)</code></p> <p>Now the scale will go from -50 to 50. </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/visualizing-your-travel-history#post-2518 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:45:37 +0000 mariasolina47 2518@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>We offer the Markelov`s simulator ! This electric massager is a result of long-term research in the sphere of<br /> <a href="http://www.bodytherapy-mb.com" rel="nofollow">anticellulite massage</a>, muscle pain, traumas. It is manufactured in accordance with doctors’ recommendations. The massager consists of a programming device and electrode header. The pain-relief effect is based on the influence of electrical impulses. It regenerates tissues, softens hardened muscles, stretches and relaxes them. Try it, you will not regret! </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/visualizing-your-travel-history#post-2517 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:35:06 +0000 tmcw 2517@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Awesome! Especially the fact that it fits into a very specific, storable, long-lasting medium is really cool. I was actually looking at a very similar thing, but web-based, and found that representing a cube was too difficult to understand quickly, so settled on 2D: <a href="http://macwright.org/2012/01/02/longitude-over-time.html" rel="nofollow">http://macwright.org/2012/01/02/longitude-over-time.html</a> - but a physical cube nails it! </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/changing-scale-of-a-treemap#post-2516 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:20:03 +0000 elmany 2516@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Hi,<br /> I'm follow the wonderful tutorial:<br /> <a href="http://flowingdata.com/2010/02/11/an-easy-way-to-make-a-treemap/" rel="nofollow">http://flowingdata.com/2010/02/11/an-easy-way-to-make-a-treemap/</a><br /> But I've been looking for a way to change the scale without luck.<br /> Can someone help me with this?</p> <p>Tanks in advance </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/tools-for-a-web-3d-interactive-map#post-2514 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:12:22 +0000 leosampieri 2514@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Let me add this,<br /> for example: each company could be represented with a sphere, or a cube, with some little banners floating around displaying some data; and some lines coming out of this sphere would link it to other companies from the same industry, or the same corporation; for example, Sony and Sony Music, or Disney and Buena Vista.<br /> The user should be able to navigate this 3D space, very much in the same way of Google Earth.</p> <p>Thanks! </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/tools-for-a-web-3d-interactive-map#post-2513 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:03:32 +0000 leosampieri 2513@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Hi everybody!.<br /> New here.<br /> I'd like to know which tools I should use in order to make a 3D, web based, interactive and scalable map of media and entertainment companies.<br /> That is, I'd have a database with all the companies listed, and each company would have a series of data to be displayed: amount of employees, country of origin, market area where it belongs (radio, cinema, TV, etc.), and other data yet to be defined.<br /> Hope I could explain myself clearly enough.</p> <p>Thanks in advance.<br /> Best regards,<br /> Leo. </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/creating-graphs-in-illustrator-quick-question#post-2511 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:02:49 +0000 eelert 2511@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Hi!</p> <p>It does seem possible to change the shape of data points in Illustrator. Adobe has a nice tutorial: <a href="http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/illustrator/articles/illcs2at_chart_print.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/illustrator/articles/illcs2at_chart_print.html</a> </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/visualizing-your-travel-history#post-2510 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:15:19 +0000 patrick.stewart 2510@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>*I do work at TripIt, so...just a disclaimer.</p> <p>Design student Cemre Güngör completed his master's thesis this last December using his TripIt data to visualize his travels in 2011 in some very creative ways. Congrats to him for graduation and looking forward to more personal data visualizations!</p> <p>Some of his work: <a href="http://work.cem.re/#1229609/Travel-visualisation" rel="nofollow">http://work.cem.re/#1229609/Travel-visualisation</a></p> <p>Flikr: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/f/sets/72157628396293399/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/f/sets/72157628396293399/</a> </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/network-and-directed-lines#post-2508 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:31:17 +0000 dnallen 2508@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>If you are ok with just getting straight lines connecting the nodes rather than great circles you can use the R command <code>arrows</code> to get arrows. </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/where-to-start#post-2503 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:26:26 +0000 frankc 2503@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>If it's for the web many if not most interactive visualizations are done in Flash. <a href="http://flare.prefuse.org/" rel="nofollow">http://flare.prefuse.org/</a> is a nice toolkit for this. Here's one by the BBC using Flare: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8562801.stm" rel="nofollow">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8562801.stm</a></p> <p>There's also quite a few tools out there that require little to no programming. If it's for static visualizations Excel can actually be pretty powerful if you tweak it right. </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/local-mapping-smaller-than-county-level#post-2502 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:14:55 +0000 frankc 2502@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>You could try find some shapefiles (e.g. <a href="http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/tr2000.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/tr2000.html</a> scroll down for shapefile format). These can be converted into interactive choropleth maps with software such as StatPlanet - or see <a href="http://andywoodruff.com/blog/simple-shapefile-drawing-in-actionscript-3/" rel="nofollow">http://andywoodruff.com/blog/simple-shapefile-drawing-in-actionscript-3/</a> for an example of how to program it yourself. </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/using-gapminder-like-they-do-in-the-video#post-2501 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:08:54 +0000 frankc 2501@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>A bit late to this post, but StatPlanet Plus enables you to do this, i.e. import your own sub-national data and create motion bubble charts (free desktop version for personal / non-commercial use) </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/advice-requested-analogy-for-inverse-relationship#post-2496 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:03:52 +0000 navk201 2496@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>I would like to think that they would understand something similar to the graph below. I know you don't think they would but they might.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/74589039@N03/6717743551/" title="example 2 by navk201, on Flickr" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6717743551_1edb10bf60.jpg" width="500" height="321" alt="example 2" /></a></p> <p>As for actually trying to do it a different way,my first thought was something interactive if you can swing it. As the slider moves, changing the Premium Cost, the Out of Network Cost would rise or fall accordingly.<br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/74589039@N03/6717743523/" title="example 1 by navk201, on Flickr" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6717743523_40dfd57a9c.jpg" width="500" height="267" alt="example 1" /></a> </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/where-to-start#post-2494 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:06 +0000 jrfleetwood 2494@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>I am in exactly the same situation - Excel/VBA power user, some Java and C++ experience and just ordered the book. I am keen to create engaging data viz, with an eye to moving onto interactive widgets at some point.</p> <p>Are there anything I should be downloading now in advance of the book's arrival? I have already grabbed R and Python, but haven't achieved much past R's demo(graphics).</p> <p>Any help greatly appreciated.</p> <p>Thanks </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/where-to-start#post-2490 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:23:05 +0000 apj101 2490@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>My data visualization thus far is limited to excel, for which I'm a definite power user. I'm looking to add more jazz and creativity to the way I present data.<br /> I'm a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of tools used. I am an average programmer, In the past Ive done Java, C++, Basic, and Perl.<br /> Just ordered the Visualize This book.<br /> I guess...what are the main tools/things i should be focusing on learning.<br /> I get very excited by maps and would defiantly like to map things where possible, such as out sales patterns, customer details, shipment routes etc etc </p> <p>Thanks everyone !! </p> http://forums.flowingdata.com/topic/video-tutorials-for-visualize-this#post-2489 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:37:21 +0000 markokeefe87 2489@http://forums.flowingdata.com/ <p>Are there any video tutorials for the examples in visualise this book? I'm getting error messages when I'm trying to complete the first exercise with the wunderground data. (I'm a complete novice in terms of programming/coding)</p> <p>Any help appreciated </p>