Data Visualization

• R is a powerful open-source language for statistical computing, known for its flexibility in creating custom visualizations through community-built packages like ggplot2. While it’s script-heavy and best suited for users with programming experience, it offers unmatched control over visual design.See more in our Learn R InfoGuide. 
• Python is a general-purpose programming language with powerful visualization libraries like Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Plotly. Code-driven and highly flexible, it’s ideal for creating both static and interactive graphics..See more in our Learn Python InfoGuide. 
• Tableau (free with non-business capabilities) s a drag-and-drop platform for building interactive, polished visualizations with minimal coding. While highly effective for rapid exploration and dashboard creation, detailed customization can be harder to achieve than in code-based tools like R or Python.See more on our Tableau page

All of these require submitting data to an online service. If your data is sensitive, you may be able to just upload your summary statistics.

• Google Spreadsheets Explore and Fusion Tables - Create visualizations from spreadsheets in Google Drive (or uploaded).
• Datawrapper is easy-to-use and creates nice charts and maps for embedding in websites. Created for journalists Must give email address to get embed code. No download. Many different chart types.
• RAWGraphs is an open source tool built on D3.js that lets anybody easily create a chart  using a drag-and-drop system to identify axes and other chart elements. Many chart options. Allows download or embed.
• Chartbuilder does not have any advanced features, but is quick and mosly easy. It can only make line, column, or dot charts and you must paste in just the data you want in the chart. Allows export as .png, .svg, or .json

• D3 is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data, D3 is geared towards generating visualizations for websites. Web coding knowledge is required in order to create and post the visualizations, but there is a wide range of outputs for datasets. D3 is available as a download from Github.
  • D3 Tutorial (Dashing D3)
  • D3 Tips and Tricks (Malcolm Maclean)

• Plotly allows users to import their dataset directly to the program and generate a wide variety of visualizations. Most are available, but some require a pro account. Free users must still have an account and save the image publicly before it can be exported. The intended purpose is interactive, D3 and WebGL charts, but static charts can be created as well. Can be used for free as long as the visualization AND DATA is made publicly accessible.