Getting Started with Plotnine: Data Visualisation with the Grammar of Graphics

Plotnine is an open-source library for data visualisation that is written in python. It implements a concept called The Grammar of Graphics and in this workshop we will learn about it and use it to elegantly create visualisations with minimal code.

Objectives

1. Understand the foundational concepts behind The Grammar of Graphics.


2. Learn how to build layered visualisations with plotnine.


3. Gain confidence in customising and refining plots to suit different datasets and audiences.


4. Appreciate the power and flexibility of being able to create visualisations by composing them from parts that belong only to a handful of categories.

At the end of the workshop, one should be able to read in a suitable dataset; create some basic visualisations;
be confident that you can continue learning about plotnine on your own; be able to ask good questions when seeking help.

Overview

1. The basics of plotnine: Understanding aesthetics, geoms and layers.


2. Building and refining plots: Adding titles, labels, scales, and themes.


3. Customising plots: Changing colour schemes, themes to suit your needs.


4. Working with real-world data: Practical examples and datasets for visualisation.


5. Facets and grids: Splitting your data into subplots for deeper insights.


6. Map: Create maps visualisations almost as easily as scatter plots.


7. Advanced techniques: Statistical transformations and customising scales. (Extra: If time allows)

Audience

Python users at all skill levels.
No prior experience with plotnine is required, although a basic familiarity with Python and data manipulation (e.g., using pandas) will be helpful.

Format

This will be an interactive, hands-on workshop. Participants are encouraged to follow along with the exercises and explore different plotnine features through provided datasets. There will be time for Q&A and some roaming individualised support for the interactive session.