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PlotsOfData – a web app for visualizing data together with its summaries

Marten Postma, View ORCID ProfileJoachim Goedhart
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/426767
Marten Postma
*Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Section of Molecular Cytology, van Leeuwenhoek Centre for Advanced Microscopy, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94215, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Joachim Goedhart
*Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Section of Molecular Cytology, van Leeuwenhoek Centre for Advanced Microscopy, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94215, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Reporting of the actual data in graphs and plots increases transparency and enables independent evaluation. On the other hand, data summaries are often used in graphs since they aid interpretation. State-of-the art data visualizations can be made with the ggplot2 package, which uses the ideas of a ‘grammar of graphics’ to generate a graphic from multiple layers of data. However, ggplot2 requires coding skills and an understanding of the tidy data structure. To democratize state-of-the-art data visualization of raw data with a selection of statistical summaries, a web app was written using R/shiny that uses the ggplot2 package for generating plots. A multilayered approach together with adjustable transparency offers a unique flexibility, enabling users can to choose how to display the data and which of the data summaries to add. Four data summaries are provided, mean, median, boxplot, violinplot, to accommodate several types of data distributions. In addition, 95% confidence intervals can be added for visual inferences. By adjusting the transparency of the layers, the visualization of the raw data together with the summary can be tuned for optimal presentation and interpretation. The app is dubbed PlotsOfData and is available at: https://huygens.science.uva.nl/PlotsOfData/

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Posted November 13, 2018.
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PlotsOfData – a web app for visualizing data together with its summaries
Marten Postma, Joachim Goedhart
bioRxiv 426767; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/426767
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PlotsOfData – a web app for visualizing data together with its summaries
Marten Postma, Joachim Goedhart
bioRxiv 426767; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/426767

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