baseline

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Baseline Point of View

The Process / baseline, point of view, questions

The point of visualization is to understand what data is about, which is rarely just about the numbers and almost always about what the data represents.

Why Line Chart Baselines Can Start at Non-Zero

Guides / baseline, rules

There is a recurring argument that line chart baselines must start at zero, because anything else would be misleading. The critique is misguided.

Increasing mortality baseline

Statistics / Atlantic, baseline, coronavirus, mortality

There was a time not that long ago when a hundred covid deaths…

Euler diagram to illustrate base rate fallacy

Infographics / baseline, coronavirus, vaccination

Some people point out that vaccinated people are still hospitalized as a defense…

Rate of change in Covid-19 cases

Statistical Visualization / baseline, change, coronavirus, STAT

We’re all familiar with the Covid-19 line charts that show cases over time,…

xkcd: Base Rate

Infographics / baseline, humor, xkcd

xkcd points out the importance of considering the baseline when making comparisons:…

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Adjust Your Baseline for Better Comparisons (The Process 093)

The Process / baseline

The right baseline provides a way to compare everything else in a useful way. The wrong baseline makes the rest of the data useless.

Missing deaths

Statistical Visualization / baseline, coronavirus, New York Times

The daily counts for coronavirus deaths rely on reporting, testing, and available estimates,…

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Bar Chart Baselines Don’t Have to Start at Zero? (The Process #66)

The Process / baseline, zero

False.

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Adjusting the Point of Reference to Highlight Different Aspects of the Data (The Process #49)

The Process / baseline, point of reference

They provide an anchor in your charts, and you compare everything else against the anchor. Where you set the anchor changes your chart completely.

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Line Chart Baselines Do Not Have to Start at Zero (The Process #39)

The Process / baseline, rules

There was renewed interest in — gasp — truncated axes this week, a never-ending debate about whether starting axes at non-zero is misleading.

Useless Data Comparisons

Guides / baseline, comparison

Apples and oranges situations where the comparisons make no sense.

Misleading Medicaid funding with the baseline

Mistaken Data / baseline, Medicaid

The administration tweeted a chart that shows the Senate Republican health care bill…

Shift Your Point of View to When America Was “Better”

Data Underload / baseline, demographics, economy

How good or bad something is depends on what you compare against.

Trump bar chart baselines are the worst baselines. Sad.

Ugly Charts / baseline, election, Washington Post

The Donald Trump campaign has a habit of highlighting poll results with a…

Sometimes the y-axis doesn’t start at zero, and it’s fine

Design / baseline, Vox

It’s true. Sometimes it’s okay for the y-axis to start at a non-zero…

Bar Chart Baselines Start at Zero

Guides / baseline, rules

There are visualization rules and there are visualization suggestions. Most are suggestions. The ones that are rules exist because of how our brains process visual information. There’s just no getting around it.