Data Visualization Packages for R to Consider in 2023

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2 min readJan 17, 2023

ggplot2

ggplot2 provides the most feature-rich and versatile graph creation package based on the grammar of graphics framework as part of the robust tidiyverse ecosystem. This principle breaks down graphs into components such as datasets, scales, levels, and so on. In a declarative manner, the user combines these components to describe and create any diagram.

Data Visualization Packages for R to Consider in 2023

This method has become so popular that it has effectively replaced R’s native diagrams and added several extensions, some of which will be discussed here.

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Leaflet

The New York Times and the Washington Post both use Leaflet by Volodymyr Agafonkin, one of the most popular open-source JavaScript libraries for interactive maps. Leaflet for R makes it simple to incorporate leaflet maps into R.

simplevis

We’ve already introduced two useful tools: ggplot2- and leaflet. The goal of simplevis is to make visualization easier with less brainpower by providing a package of wrapper functions for these two packages.

GGANIMATE

gganimate is a ggplot extension that allows you to create diagrams with beautiful animations in R.

GGANIMATE EXAMPLE

The grammar principle is supplemented by a number of extra components that the data scientist can add to the ggplot object to represent how it should change over time.

ggvis

In keeping with the ggplot2 philosophy (and the grammar of graphics), ggvis allows users to create interactive graphics that can be tested in Rstudio or in the browser using the shiny infrastructure.

RGL

RGL allows you to create interactive 3D graphics in R using OpenGL or WebGL as the backend.

rayrender

This open-source R package, inspired by Peter Shirley’s three books on ray tracing, allows you to do the same thing when creating 3D scenes in R.

highcharter

This R package contains a set of wrapper functions for the JavaScript library of the same name. BBC, Sony, and Twitter are already using Highcharts (JavaScript) as a flexible and customizable chart library.

Plotly

The emphasis of Plotly is on interactive, publication-quality diagrams. There are examples for creating line charts, scatter plots, area plots, and so on.

Lattice

Lattice is a powerful and elegant high-level data visualization system inspired by Trellis graphics, with a focus on multivariate data. While adequate for most graphing needs, Lattice is adaptable enough to meet the majority of non-standard requirements.

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