Heatmap

There are multiple representation forms of data and information. It can be illustrated in the form of bar graphs, line charts, pie charts and so on. One such way of illustrating data using a colour gradient to represent the intensity or frequency of data values in a dataset is known as a Heatmap. The purpose of a heatmap is to provide a visual representation that makes it easy to identify patterns, correlations, and anomalies within the data at a glance.

The key features of these are –

1. Heatmaps use a range of colours to indicate different data values. Typically, warmer colours (such as red and orange) indicate higher values or intensities, while cooler colours (such as blue and green) indicate lower values.
2. These can represent various data such as numerical values, frequencies, and densities. The data is usually displayed in a matrix format where each cell’s colour corresponds to the data value.

Types of Heatmap –

Heatmaps come in various types, each tailored to specific data visualization needs and applications. Here are some common types of heatmaps –

1. Web analytics heatmaps – These are majorly used to analyse user behaviour on websites. These can be further classified as click, scroll and mouse heatmaps.
2. Geological heatmaps – They display data on geological regions. Typically, they can be used to visualize population density, crime rates, weather patterns, sales distribution, etc.
3. Matrix heatmaps – They represent data in a grid format, often showing relationships between variables. These can be used to display correlation matrices, gene expression data, and similarity matrices.
4. Calendar heatmaps – These are considered very useful in viewing data over days, weeks, months or years. They can track daily activities, productivity, contributions and sales trends.
5. Density heatmaps – These heatmaps are used to represent the density of data points in two-dimensional space. They can visualize the density of points in scatter plots, and analyze large datasets for clustering and pattern detection.
6. Path heatmaps – Path heatmaps are used to track movement patterns, often within physical spaces or digital interfaces.
7. Heatmap tables – These are tables where the cell values are represented by colours to indicate their magnitude. They display categorical data, metrics and survey results.
8. Genomic heatmaps – Genomic heatmaps are used in bioinformatics to display gene expression data for the study of biological processes.

Wrapping it up –

Heatmaps are a pictorial representation of data or information for better inference. These are used to visualize data through colour gradients. They are of multiple types based on their function and colour grading. They have multiple applications which include – web analytics, marketing and advertising, UX designing, geospatial analysis and scientific research.

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