The Grammar of Graphics

Abstract

The grammar of graphics (GoG) denotes a system with seven classes embedded in a data flow. This data flow specifies a strict order in which data are transformed from a raw dataset to a statistical graphic. Each class contains multiple methods, each of which is a function executed at the step in the data flow corresponding to that class. The classes are orthogonal, in the sense that the product set of all classes (every possible sequence of class methods) defines a space of graphics which is meaningful at every point. The meaning of a statistical graphic is thus determined by the mapping produced by the function chain linking data and graphic.