Lexis Fields

Timothy Riffe , Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Jose Aburto, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

Background: Lexis surfaces are an established visualization technique to show how a given value changes over age and time. Vector fields are a 2d or 3d representation of flow variables such as direction and speed or force. Objective: We aim to increase the information density of patterns shown on the Lexis surface by placing a vector field on the Lexis surface. Results: We show Lexis fields using different combinations of visual encodings, such as color, contour layering, and angle, length, and thickness of field elements. These instruments enable information layering that is not common practice on standard Lexis surfaces. Conclusions: Lexis fields extend the analytic power of the Lexis surface, and these can be rendered to display information at higher densities than standard Lexis surfaces.

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 Presented in Session 3. Population, Development, & the Environment; Data & Methods; Applied Demography