timeplot

A timeplot, in data visualization, is a graphic that presents data points in chronological order with time as a primary axis. It is commonly used to display time series, event sequences, or timelines, allowing viewers to observe how values change over time or how events unfold.

Common forms include line plots where values are connected across consecutive time stamps; scatter plots where each point is timestamped; and area plots or bar charts when focusing on aggregated measures. Timeplots can also show multiple series by using different colors or facets. Irregular sampling, missing data, and varying time granularity are common considerations.

Key design considerations: choosing the time unit (seconds, days, years), deciding on a linear or logarithmic scale, and handling time zones and daylight saving time. Aggregation may be applied to reduce noise, such as daily or monthly means. Interactive timeplots often support zooming, panning, and tooltips to inspect individual timestamps.

Applications: finance for stock prices, meteorology for weather measurements, web analytics for user activity, epidemiology for case counts, and project management for task schedules. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with time-series plot or timeline, although some writers reserve timeplot for a time-ordered sequence of observations rather than a cumulative or aggregated series.

See also: time series, line chart, timeline, sparkline, calendar heatmap, data visualization.