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Path Analysis with Trails & Size
Posted May 7th, 2008 by JMSidhu
I have a question about performing some path analysis with some size representations for one of my variables.
Something along the lines that would combine the two concepts in the pictures below.
The idea is from Hans Rosling (http://www.gapminder.org/video/gap-cast/gapcast-9---public-services.html)
Is anyone able to offer any guidance?
Here is a dummy data set that I have been playing around with in Tableau but have not been able to achieve similar results with.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| ForPathAnalysis.xls | 19.5 KB |
| RoslingSample.gif | 29.04 KB |
| pathsample.gif | 31.3 KB |
Comments
Can you perhaps explain a bit more about what you are trying to figure out from the data? For example, what questions are you trying to answer?
The path shelf only applies when you use a line mark because you are defining the path of the line. You can add a size encoding to a line mark by placing a field on the size shelf, but I don't think that is what you are getting at.
I would like to see market share performance over time by company. I would like to know whether current performance is a trend or deviation from a trend.
I understand that the dummy dataset attached only has two periods of data. The live data I am working with contains a much longer timeseries.
Hi,
I think you're on the right track with using the path shelf. I've attached a packaged worksheet with the excel data you included. I added two more rows for one of those 'companies' and I also filtered just on that one company. I think - armed with the right data - you can definitely the path concept to work in this case, over a date dimension. -Ty
I've also create a few examples. One of them exactly recreates the example you sent me from gapminder.
For the 'best practice' view, I used table calculations to highlight the change in growth rates via color and the change in marketshare via size.
This created an interesting result as some companies had a drop in growth (note this doesn't mean negative growth, the might have grown at 20%, then at 15% for a delta of -5%) while experience an increase in market share. This might indicate that there is a bit of lag in decision making: past performance rather than current performance is a better predictor of market share.
Thank you Marc. The second and third examples (esp. the 3rd) appear to be on the track of what I am trying to achieve.
I need to play around with them a little bit but I appreciate the jumpstart tremendously.
Thanks.
Jonathan
One of the first things I plan on trying to play with is a moving average and filter so that I can try and create a faux-animation and to smooth the animation easier to interpret. (ala http://www.tableausoftware.com/testmovie/test)