JMP Flash Bubble Plot
Introduction
You can save a Bubble Plot as a Flash file that can be imported into presentations and Web applications. An HTML page is also saved that shows you the correct code for using the .SWF file.
Save as a Flash File
To save a Bubble Plot as a Flash file once you have created it:
- Click the Bubble Plots’s red triangle icon and select Save for Adobe Flash Platform (.SWF).
- Browse to the folder in which you want to save the file.
- Type a name for the Flash object in the File name field.
- Click Save.
The Flash file is saved in the selected directory.
Flash Implementation of a Bubble Plot
The Flash implementation of the JMP Bubble Plot displays up to five dimensions of data in a two-dimensional plot. Data can be x-coordinates, y-coordinates, size, color, and time.
Dynamic bubble plots were pioneered by Hans Rosling, Professor http://www.gapminder.org/.
Parts of the Application
At the top left, the menu button shows available commands.
The Help link (top right) takes you to this document.
The JMP icon in the lower left takes you to the JMP home page.
If your bubble plot displays more than two dimensions of data, controls below the plot enable you to vary the time period, and legends to the right of the plot show color and size.
General Features
Actions
There are two ways you can interact with the plot. For common commands, you can generally just click on the item that you want to interact with. For example, to select a bubble, simply click on it.
The other way to interact with the plot is to select an object, then choose an action from a menu. For example, suppose you want to change the scale of the X-axis from linear to logarithmic. First, click on the axis to select it. Then choose the Log Scale command from the menu button to apply the scale.
Selecting and Resizing
To select an object in the bubble plot, click on its edge, or on its title if it has one. For example, clicking on an axis title selects the axis. Clicking on the edge of a graph selects the graph (see below).
When you select an axis, a graph, or the entire bubble plot, resize handles appear. Drag these handles to change size in any direction.
To enlarge the plot and its elements, use the resize handles. For example, to see a larger font, click on the application title, then drag the resize handles to increase the application size.
To select multiple objects, hold down the Shift or Ctrl key when you click. For example, this enables you to apply log scales to multiple axes.
Panning and Zooming
To zoom or stretch an axis (thereby altering its range) drag near the maximum or minimum of the axis. To pan, or shift the center of an axis, drag near the midpoint of the axis.
The Menu Button
Commands appear when you click on the menu button.
To apply a command, first select an object, then choose a command from a menu. If no objects are selected, commands apply to all objects.
Reset
The Reset command restores objects to their original state when the bubble plot was launched. For example, this is useful when resetting axes that have been adjusted during exploration.
Print To
Choose Print To to print the plot. Printing always prints the entire application.
Context Menu
Commands for each type of object are also listed in a context menu that is accessible by right-clicking. A context menu automatically selects the object under the cursor, so that the command that you choose applies to that object. For example, the Log Scale command is listed in the context menu for axes. Right-click on the axis and select Log Scale to change the scale of the axis. Repeat the action to change the scale back to linear.
At the bottom of the Context Menu, several actions are provided by the Adobe Flash Player. These actions are documented on the Adobe website. They include Flash Player settings, which rarely need to be changed.
Bubble Plot Features
The bubble plot supports the following features.
Play / Pause, Previous and Next
The Play/Pause button works as in other media players. Press it to start the animation; press it again to pause. The animation displays bubbles for each unique time value. At the end, the animation fades, then starts again from the initial time.
The Previous and Next buttons display the previous and next time slices of data. To create a smooth animation, bubble positions, sizes, and colors are linearly interpolated between these data values. Previous and Nextbuttons show you the actual data values without interpolation.
Note: If your plot has no Time variable, these buttons do not appear.
Split and Combine
The Split and Combine buttons enable you to drill down to explore hierarchical data.
A typical example are states grouped into regions. Select a bubble for a region, then press the Split button to display bubbles for individual states. In the figure below, the Pacific region has been split into five states.
To reverse the split, select any of the split bubbles and press the Combine button.
Note: If your plot does not have two ID variables to define the hierarchy, these buttons do not appear.
Adjust Time
Drag the time slider to adjust the time value. The tick marks show the time values that have actual data values. Between tick marks, data values are interpolated.
The current time is shown by default in the least-populated corner of the plot. It can be dragged to any position on the plot.
Note: If your plot has no Time variable, the slider and time value do not appear.
Adjust Speed, Transparency, or Size
Click or drag the corresponding sliders to adjust the speed of animation, transparency of deselected bubbles, or the size of bubbles. All values are between 0% and 100%.
The Speed slider controls speed of animation.
The Transparency slider controls the transparency of deselected bubbles. By default, deselected bubbles are more transparent (dimmer) than selected bubbles.
The Size slider controls the absolute maximum size of the bubbles. Relative size is determined by the Size variable.
Note: If your plot has no Time variable, the Speed slider does not appear.
Filter by Size and Color
Both size and color legends act as data filters, showing or hiding bubbles based on your choices.
The Size variable is usually continuous. The two thumbs of the Size slider define the range of bubbles that appear. Drag the thumbs to change this range.
If the Color variable is continuous, then the color legend displays a similar range slider.
If the Color variable is categorical, then the color legend is a list of check boxes. Select and deselect the check boxes to hide or show data. The "All" checkbox at the top of the list shows or hides data for all of the values.
Note: If your plot has no Size or Color variable specified, the corresponding legend does not appear. In JMP, it is possible to assign colors or sizes to bubbles without using a Color or Size variable.
Zoom Inward, Zoom Outward
Choose these commands to view bubbles in more or less detail. For example, this is useful when you have a cluster of overlapping bubbles and need to see them more clearly.
Draw Bubbles
To draw bubbles filled or with outlines, or to use both conventions, choose the Draw command.
Label Bubbles
To label all bubbles, selected bubbles, or no bubbles, choose the Label command. Select a single bubble by clicking on it. To select multiple bubbles, hold down the Shift or Ctrl key.
Select All
Choose the Select All command to select all bubbles. This is useful when you want to label, split, or combine all bubbles.
Trail Lines and Bubbles
Trailing lines and bubbles show the path of selected bubbles as the animation plays.
Trails enable you to focus on the paths of a few bubbles over time. If your bubble plot is dense, using only trail lines may be the best choice.
Note: These commands have no effect unless some bubbles are selected. If your plot does not have a Time variable, these commands do not appear.
Estimate Missing Values
By default, the bubble plot estimates missing time values by linear interpolation. Missing values are shown as bubbles with dashed lines around their rims.
Note: If your plot does not have a Time variable, this command does not appear.
Define Aggregates
Use the Aggregate command to specify how hierarchical bubbles are combined. x-coordinates, y-coordinates, size, or color can each be combined as either the sum or the mean.
Note: If your plot does not have two ID variables to define the hierarchy, these commands do not appear.
