EuroSciPy 2024

Introduction to matplotlib for Data Visualization with Python
2024-08-26 , Room 6

matplotlib is a library for creating visualizations with Python which "...makes easy things easy and hard things possible" (https://matplotlib.org/). This tutorial, intended for beginners, will introduce the library and explain core concepts as well as the main interfaces. Starting with styling simple point data plots, we will explain how to work with several dimensions, shared axes and advanced styling options using rcParams. After completing this tutorial, participants will hopefully be equipped with a thorough understanding of matplotlib to navigate the "hard things" in the world of data visualization.


matplotlib is one of the most-used and powerful visualization libraries for Python which comes with a huge feature set and configuration flexibility for users. However, these traits also introduce a good amount of complexity that can be hard to tackle alone. This tutorial aims to help beginners take the inital stage and speed up learning data visualization with matplotlib.

We will follow along this rough outline:

Part 1 // The Basics or How to Talk to matplotlib (45 min)

  • The matplotlib interfaces: plt vs fig, ax
  • Visualizing and styling two dimensional data: point and line plots, making titles, labelling axes, choosing colors, ...
  • Hands-on examples

Part 2 // Carrying On the Conversation: More Dimensions and Figures (45 min)

  • Custom styling with rcParams
  • Creating multiple figures and sharing axes
  • Other dimensions: working with three-dimensional and polar data
  • Hands-on examples

Category [High Performance Computing]:

Other

Category [Community, Education, and Outreach]:

Other

Category [Machine and Deep Learning]:

Other

Category [Scientific Applications]:

Other

Expected audience expertise: Domain:

none

Abstract as a tweet:

Introduction to matplotlib for Visualization in Python

Category [Data Science and Visualization]:

Data Visualization

Expected audience expertise: Python:

some