Stream graph variation
US Box Office data, showing takings and ranking each week. This visualisation is based on the data and original idea displayed here but uses an alternative method to calculate and depict the areas on the graph.
Source:
Interactive features
Information on name and takings displayed on mouseover
Benefits & pitfalls to avoid
- Line-charts imply that data is continuously changing. If your data is discrete you might consider a bar-chart instead.
- When using colours to portray data values or types, ensure that the colors used are accessible to all users. Online tools such as ColorBrewer (www.colorbrewer.org) can help identify issues with colours used.
Create your own
- There are currently no commercial applications that create stream graphs, although some online routines are available on the web from XXX. For more information see pdf paper from Lee Byron who invented the technique.