Comments on: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 Statistical Abstract – Looking at America’s Data http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/ Strength in Numbers Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:01:33 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Nathan http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4925 Nathan Mon, 26 May 2008 04:28:19 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4925 @Donovan: all of the graphs were done in adobe illustrator @Donovan: all of the graphs were done in adobe illustrator

]]> By: Donovan http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4924 Donovan Mon, 26 May 2008 04:20:46 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4924 What program was used to generate the above graphs? What program was used to generate the above graphs?

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4823 Jon Peltier Fri, 23 May 2008 13:17:37 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4823 I was going to save this for later since I've already posted a blog entry this morning, but I'm not the patient type. http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/2008/05/23/line-chart-vs-step-chart/ I was going to save this for later since I’ve already posted a blog entry this morning, but I’m not the patient type.

http://peltiertech.com/WordPre.....tep-chart/

]]> By: Line Chart vs. Step Chart » PTS Blog http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4822 Line Chart vs. Step Chart » PTS Blog Fri, 23 May 2008 13:15:52 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4822 [...] in the Flowing Data blog, Nathan Yau wrote U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 Statistical Abstract - Looking at America’s Data. Interesting, now I can look up anything and take on Cliff [...] [...] in the Flowing Data blog, Nathan Yau wrote U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 Statistical Abstract – Looking at America’s Data. Interesting, now I can look up anything and take on Cliff [...]

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4821 Jon Peltier Fri, 23 May 2008 13:13:22 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4821 Never mind, the comma at the end isn't part of the URL. Take the squares off the Pressure series to neaten up your example chart. It's not difficult to understand. The example seems to show settings applied to machinery over time. A non-step line chart would be as inappropriate here as in the postal rates display. It may be informative to add an XY chart showing P vs T, connect points in sequence with lines, and add data labels showing the months. Never mind, the comma at the end isn’t part of the URL.

Take the squares off the Pressure series to neaten up your example chart. It’s not difficult to understand. The example seems to show settings applied to machinery over time. A non-step line chart would be as inappropriate here as in the postal rates display.

It may be informative to add an XY chart showing P vs T, connect points in sequence with lines, and add data labels showing the months.

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4820 Jon Peltier Fri, 23 May 2008 13:07:58 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4820 Not Found The requested URL /line_ex9.png, was not found on this server. Not Found
The requested URL /line_ex9.png, was not found on this server.

]]> By: demaws http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4791 demaws Thu, 22 May 2008 16:48:53 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4791 Jon, You're correct in saying that my comparison between a bar chart and a step chart might be flawed. I did mean preserving durations along the time axis, but I understand how it can make the chart clunky. My point with using the line chart is that, it makes it much more easy to discern the overall trend than a step chart. The graph above seems to say that Postal Service Rates have been on an increase from 1995 to 2006, with stamps and postcards almost coordinated in their increase. Compare that to a step chart, especially if drawn like this http://www.swiftchart.com/line_ex9.png, can make it very hard to perceive the overall trend. Jon, You’re correct in saying that my comparison between a bar chart and a step chart might be flawed. I did mean preserving durations along the time axis, but I understand how it can make the chart clunky.

My point with using the line chart is that, it makes it much more easy to discern the overall trend than a step chart. The graph above seems to say that Postal Service Rates have been on an increase from 1995 to 2006, with stamps and postcards almost coordinated in their increase. Compare that to a step chart, especially if drawn like this http://www.swiftchart.com/line_ex9.png, can make it very hard to perceive the overall trend.

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4779 Jon Peltier Thu, 22 May 2008 11:58:48 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4779 demaws - You don't have a problem with a line showing a trend that doesn't exist? The sloping line segments do not indicate the true price anywhere except at their endpoints. The trend in between is false. Draw a step chart and you'll see the trend, and the steps in the chart help illustrate the discontinuous nature of the changes. A step chart is not essentially a bar chart. The durations along the time axis are preserved (not the case in most bar charts, and when this is preserved it makes the bar chart less legible). demaws -

You don’t have a problem with a line showing a trend that doesn’t exist? The sloping line segments do not indicate the true price anywhere except at their endpoints. The trend in between is false. Draw a step chart and you’ll see the trend, and the steps in the chart help illustrate the discontinuous nature of the changes.

A step chart is not essentially a bar chart. The durations along the time axis are preserved (not the case in most bar charts, and when this is preserved it makes the bar chart less legible).

]]> By: demaws http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4752 demaws Wed, 21 May 2008 17:28:38 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4752 I think that the choice of a line graph is well-justified with the postal rates. Your concern might be that the line graph denotes a continuous value between two intervals, whereas the jump was discrete. A step-chart is essentially a bar graph, i.e it is a line that denotes how the bars would've been, and we know that graphs such as those are ill-suited for trends over time. On the other hand, the line graph make it extremely clear what the trend over time has been. I think that the choice of a line graph is well-justified with the postal rates. Your concern might be that the line graph denotes a continuous value between two intervals, whereas the jump was discrete.

A step-chart is essentially a bar graph, i.e it is a line that denotes how the bars would’ve been, and we know that graphs such as those are ill-suited for trends over time. On the other hand, the line graph make it extremely clear what the trend over time has been.

]]> By: Andreas Lipphardt http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4751 Andreas Lipphardt Wed, 21 May 2008 16:42:46 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/2008/05/21/us-census-bureaus-2008-statistical-abstract-looking-at-americas-data/#comment-4751 I loaded one of the sheets (Patents and Trademarks.XLS) into Excel, enriched it with MicroCharts, added a detail chart and published it to the Web. http://208.112.55.165/XLCubedWeb/WebForm/ShowReport.aspx?rep=__userfolders__/753%20-%20Patents%20and%20Trademarks-%201990%20to%202006.xml&dpi=96 Maybe somebody gets inspired, downloads MicroCharts and creates a nice U.S. Census Bureau dashboard for our Excel Dashboard Competition? http://www.bonavistasystems.com/NewsMicroChartsCompetition.html Andreas Lipphardt I loaded one of the sheets (Patents and Trademarks.XLS) into Excel, enriched it with MicroCharts, added a detail chart and published it to the Web.

http://208.112.55.165/XLCubedW.....amp;dpi=96

Maybe somebody gets inspired, downloads MicroCharts and creates a nice U.S. Census Bureau dashboard for our Excel Dashboard Competition?
http://www.bonavistasystems.co.....ition.html

Andreas Lipphardt

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