With the freedom to use many linear axes, we could show lots of different dimensions for a single item simultaneously.but if we wanted to compare multiple items at the same time, we’d use several individual spider charts (in a small multiple format, perhaps). Closest to the center means closer to zero.
![veusz points veusz points](https://windows-cdn.softpedia.com/screenshots/veusz_15.png)
The farther towards the end of the spike, the larger the value. See how they kind of look like spokes coming out of the hub of a wheel? In a spider chart, each dimension gets its own spoke, and the spokes are evenly distributed around the wheel. Most common two-dimensional graphs, like scatterplots, use Cartesian coordinates-we use X and Y values to determine points’ locations on two perpendicular axes: the horizontal and the vertical, respectively.
![veusz points veusz points](https://veusz.github.io/examples/fixed_aspect.png)
However, the coordinate system that we use to plot data on a spider chart is a little less common: most business charts are drawn using Cartesian coordinates, but spider charts use polar coordinates. Just like line graphs, scatterplots, and many charts used in business communications, spider charts show data plotted on two different axes.
#Veusz points series#
In one of our previous #SWDchallenges, several participants found other use cases for spider charts, such as comparing series on a time-cycle, comparing the volume of searches for different terms, or even visualizing the motifs in a piece of music. In our experience, they’re most likely to pop up in food science (comparing products across multiple different facets of taste, texture, etc.) and in sports analytics (comparing athletes across several dimensions of performance). Spider charts can be found in lots of industries, but rarely in large numbers. Each dimension’s range is normalized to one another, so that when we draw our spider chart, the length of a line from zero to a dimension’s maximum value will be the same for every dimension. Although there are exceptions, these dimensions are usually quantitative, and typically range from zero to a maximum value.
![veusz points veusz points](https://i.imgur.com/9sNxcVN.jpg)
A spider chart, also sometimes called a radar chart, is often used when you want to display data across several unique dimensions.