(Free) data visualization software

AI Thread Summary
Several free data visualization tools are recommended for beginners looking to enhance their skills. Key options include R, a powerful open-source software widely used in various industries, and Tableau, which offers free training and software for registered students. Gnuplot is noted for its capability in complex visualizations, while simpler tools like Chartist.js and Highcharts provide user-friendly interfaces for creating attractive charts. For those interested in coding, D3.js is highlighted for its advanced interactivity features. Additionally, resources for sample datasets are suggested, including links to comprehensive lists of visualization tools and examples. Overall, the discussion emphasizes the importance of selecting a tool that aligns with the user's needs, whether they prefer code-based or drag-and-drop interfaces.
HJ Farnsworth
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Greetings,

I have never worked with any good data visualization tools, but it is a skill I would very much like to learn.

Does anyone know of some good free data visualization software?

If so, could you please describe it a little bit as well? Eg., is it code-based or drag-and-drop, etc.

Additionally, does anyone know of any large sets of sample data that I could find online, that would be well-suited for practicing with the data visualization software once I download it?

E.g., I think a good starting project for me would be to learn how to produce a graphic like the one below from the raw data.

00014g-837.gif


Thanks very much for any help that you can give.

-HJ Farnsworth
 
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In addition to the paid ones (That schools might have available for you) a lot of the science community uses ORIGIN (http://www.originlab.com/)

But again, the free trial is only for 21 days.
 
You can learn with Tableu software which is a data Visualization Software .Now If you register on their site you can get the product free as Registered students get free training & software.Now this is a great software to start with, who knows you might endup getting an great Job as lots of Companies these days are using this software.
Second tool which i would recommend is "R". Its an great Free open source software, again lots of companies use this Tool.
Good luck with this.
 
I doubt that there are free packages that would allow the detailed formatting in your example (like degree symbols in the Y axis and all the formatted text blocks). The free ones probably don't have that type of formatting flexibility. That probably requires an expensive proprietary tool, a graphics department, or a lot of work in a text processing package. But there are a lot of free packages for doing basic charts of data. I have heard good things about 'R' and was pleased with what I saw in a brief look. You may have to do a basic graph and then overlay the labels on a graph picture in Microsoft Visio or Powerpoint.
 
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Find Fedora linux data visualization software. Fedora is required by their license to carry only free repositories.
 
Dr Transport said:
gnuplot is free...

And loads of information is available online.
I really, really like the examples found on http://www.gnuplotting.org/
They show how you can make your figures pretty.
 
Hi!

The best library for data visualization is by far D3.js - that's if you like to get your hands dirty with JavaScript coding. But the things you can do there at a level of interactivity are unparalleled.

A way simpler JavaScript library is Chartist.js. The charts you can make with that are beautiful - though simpler - and it's a lot easier for you to learn.

Or if you need a simpler tool to visualize data you can try Highcharts. And that's totally free per personal projects.

Also you can go through this big list of data visualization tools and try every single one out of the 20 and see what fits best.

Does that help?

Best

Edoardo
 
  • #10
David Dell said:
Y
Second tool which i would recommend is "R". Its an great Free open source software, again lots of companies use this Tool.
Good luck with this.
As this requires also statistics, I would go for R, too:
https://cran.r-project.org/
 
  • #11
Gnuplot is what we use for complex stuff. We just use a spreadsheet or 2D Graph (https://www.padowan.dk/download/ ) for simpler stuff.

There is also a program called SciDavis that some people in our group use when they want something mode complex that Graph can do without using Gnuplot.
 
  • #13
JorisL said:
And loads of information is available online.
I really, really like the examples found on http://www.gnuplotting.org/
They show how you can make your figures pretty.

I would also like to suggest XMGRACE, which is also free and open-source. I believe it is only available for linux, but who would want to use windows in this day and age?
 
  • #14
mohinder said:
but who would want to use windows in this day and age?
Plenty of people.
 
  • #15
If you like code based plotting, then Gnuplot is certainly worth an effort. If your data treatment requires a lot of programming etc, then take a look at python and the matplotlib library.

For both there are extensive online resources available, like tutorials, examples, FAQs, etc.

If you prefer drag and drop graphics, then I cannot help you. :-)
 

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