With the improvement in the field of computer, the use of it has become indescribable. There are a number of places where a computer makes the work much easier for us. There are a number of computer programs that have been developed since the emergence of the computer. This has become even more popular during the recent times. A charting application is one such program that is performed using a computer. It is used to create a graphical representation. This is also called as a chart. It is created based on non-graphical data that is entered by the user. This is most often done with the help of a spreadsheet. This application helps in creating the charts easily from the available inputs. The same process can also be done with the help of a specific application that is dedicated to the process alone or also with the help of an online spreadsheet service. When charting services are considered, there are a number of online options that are available. A list of such graphics creating software is available online with the information about them. Even 3D charts can be created by using these software programs. This helps in better understanding of the statistics that are compared.
Information on the basic terminology – Chart
A chart can also be called as a graph. It is a graphical representation of data. These are applied for instances where the data that is studied is represented in symbols. These symbols differ according to the charts that they are used. When a bar chart is drawn, the data are indicated as bars, slices in a pie chart and lines when a line chart is made. A chart can be used to represent some of the qualitative structures, functions and also the tabular numeric data. A chart can be used in different places to provide different information. The term chart itself has a number of meanings. A data chart can be used to represent and organize a set of qualitative or numerical data. Maps that are filled with some extra information to fulfill a specific purpose are also known as charts. The examples of such kinds are; nautical charts and aeronautical charts. They are typically spread over a number of map sheets. Sometimes, even domain specific constructs are called as charts as in chord chart in music. The other commonly used domain construct is a record chart that is used for album popularity. Charts are used in occasions when large quantities of data are presented for understanding along with the relationship between their parts. When compared to raw data, charts can be read even more quickly. Charts are presently being used in a very wide variety of fields. They can be simply created by hand without the help of any electronic gadgets. To make this task even simpler, computer-based charting applications have been created and used by a number of people. Some types of charts are more effective than the other in presenting a set of data.
Features that are contained in a chart
There are a large variety of forms that a chart can take. This being said, there are some common features among them. This is mainly their ability in extracting meaning from the data that is taken into account. The data in a chart are represented graphically for the reason that the humans are able to infer the data that are graphically presented rather than reading a huge amount of text. The text is the best form that is used in order to annotate the given data. The title of a graph is always given in the text. This title usually appears at the top of any graph. It is used to give a succinct description of the purpose of the graph. Axes on graphs are used to describe the dimensions in a data. The horizontal and the vertical axes in a graph are referred as the X-axis and the Y-axis respectively. A scale will be present on each axis. Periodic graduations are used to denote them. They can either be followed by numerical or categorical indications. The axis in the graph will also have a label that is displayed on the outside of it or beside it. This is used to describe the dimension that is represented. Grid lines may or may not be present in a graph depending upon the necessity.
The data that is represented can appear in any format. They might even include textual labels. This is used to describe the datum that is associated with the indicated position in a chart. They may appear as dots or shapes in a chart connected or unconnected to each other. Any combination of colors and patterns can be used. Any point of interest or inferences can always be overlaid on the graph directly. This helps in further information extraction.
There are many varieties of charts that are used for different purposes. A histogram is made of tabular frequencies. They are usually shown as adjacent rectangles which are erected over discrete intervals. The other types of charts are line, bar and pie charts. In order to find the best charting software, one has to understand the nature of the data that are to be represented graphically. Only after knowing the data to be represented, a person can choose the right type of chart. There is a number of charting software that is available for use in the market today. The lists of all these charts are available on the internet. Each chart works on a different application and platform. The software that is used also differs. Different frameworks support different types of charts. It is important to understand the framework that is used in order to choose the right type. It is also very important to use the licensed charts for a trouble-free process. The interactivity of the chart when the mouse is moved over or clicked on should also be noted. The ability of data binding has made charting software a great asset to any person who works with a huge amount of data on a daily basis.
