Visualizing Proportions - Data Points: Visualization That Means Something - page 176

If you get an error when you try to compile your code, check the
top of JobVoyager.as to see if the following two lines to import the
ColorPallete and Encoder objects are specified. Add them if they
are not there already.
import flare.util.palette.*;
import flare.vis.operator.encoder.*;
Ta Da! You now have something that looks like what we're after (Fig-
ure 5-32). Of course, you don't have to stop here. You can do a lot of things
with this. You can apply this to your own data, use a different color scheme,
and further customize to fit your needs. Maybe change the font or the tool-
tip format. Then you can get fancier and integrate it with other tools or add
more ActionScript, and so on.
Point-by-Point
One disadvantage of the stacked area graph is that it can be hard to see
trends for each group because the placement of each point is affected by
the points below it. So sometimes a better way is to plot proportions as a
straight up time series like the previous chapter covered.
Luckily, it's easy to switch between the two in Illustrator. The data entry is
the same, so you just need to change the graph type. Select the line plot
instead of the stacked area in the beginning, and you get this, the default
graph in Figure 5-34.
Clean up and format to your liking in the same way you did with the time
series examples, and you have the same data from a different point of view
(Figure 5-35).
It's easier to see the individual trends in each age group with this time
series plot. On the other hand, you do lose the sense of a whole and dis-
tributions. The graph you choose should reflect the point you' want to get
across or what you want to find in your data. You can even show both views
if you have the space.