Python

A frequent challenge of visualization is behind the scenes, to get the data and to mold it into the format you need. Do that. Then map.

Sometimes these cartograms can distort areas beyond recognition, but they can also provide a better visual representation for a region with a wide range of subregions. At the least, they’re fun to look at.

Filled contour plots are useful for looking at density across two dimensions and are often used to visualize geographic data. It’s straightforward to make them in R — once you get your data in the right format, that is.

There are about a million ways to make a choropleth map. The problem is that a lot of solutions require expensive software or have a high learning curve. It doesn’t have to be that way.