bensoltoff / gg-viz

Materials for class on the grammar of graphics and `ggplot2`

Data visualizations, the grammar of graphics, and ggplot2

Learning objectives

• Identify the importance of graphics in communicating information
• Define the layered grammar of graphics
• Demonstrate how to use layered grammar of graphics to build Minard's graph of Napoleon's invasion of Russia
• Practice generating layered graphics using ggplot2

Slides and class materials

• Slides
• Why visualize data?
• The grammar of graphics
  • If you have additional time, also read A Layered Grammar of Graphics
• How to build a complicated, layered graphic
• Practice generating layered graphics using ggplot2
• Exploring Minard's 1812 plot with ggplot2 - a much fancier (and more complex) version

Additional resources

Getting started with R

• R for Data Science
  • Exercise solutions can be found here.

Graphical design

• Tufte, Edward R. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Classic book on statistical graphics and visualization design.
• Healey, Kieran. Data Visualization: A Practical Guide. An applied introduction to graphical design with lots of applications in ggplot2 (and many code examples).

ggplot2

• ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis, 2nd Edition -- Hadley Wickham. Excellent resource for learning the intricacies of ggplot2.
• Documentation for ggplot2
• Why do we learn the ggplot2 graphics library and not the base graphics system? David Robinson explains it well in Don't teach built-in plotting to beginners (teach ggplot2), and follows up with a longer defense of ggplot2 in Why I use ggplot2

Useful cheatsheets

• Data visualization with ggplot2 cheat sheet
• RStudio IDE Cheat Sheet - if you don't know what all the buttons and panels do in RStudio, this is a great decoder