Interactive graphics: Exemplified with real data applications

Graphics are widely used in modern applied statistics because they are easy to create, convenient to use, and they can present information effectively. Static plots do not allow interacting with graphics. User interaction, on the other hand, is crucial in exploring data. It gives flexibility and control. One can experiment with the data and the displays. One can investigate the data from different perspectives to produce views that are easily interpretable and informative. In this paper, we try to explain interactive graphics and advocate their use as a practical tool. The benefits and strengths of interactive graphics for data exploration and data quality analyses are illustrated systematically with three complex real datasets.