the_information_nexus/tech_docs/python/Seaborn.md

For data visualization in Python, Seaborn is a very useful library that builds on top of Matplotlib. It provides a high-level interface for drawing attractive and informative statistical graphics. Seaborn simplifies the process of creating complex visualizations from data in pandas DataFrames and arrays, integrating closely with the rest of the Python data science stack. Here's a concise reference guide for common use cases with Seaborn:

Seaborn Reference Guide

Installation

pip install seaborn

Basic Usage

Importing Seaborn

import seaborn as sns

Setting Aesthetics

# Set the aesthetic style of the plots
sns.set_style("whitegrid")

# Set the context for the plot (paper, notebook, talk, poster)
sns.set_context("notebook")

Basic Plots

Distribution Plots

import numpy as np

# Load a dataset for example
tips = sns.load_dataset("tips")

# Histogram
sns.histplot(data=tips, x="total_bill")

# Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) plot
sns.kdeplot(data=tips, x="total_bill")

# Combining histogram and KDE
sns.histplot(data=tips, x="total_bill", kde=True)

Categorical Plots

# Box plot
sns.boxplot(x="day", y="total_bill", data=tips)

# Violin plot
sns.violinplot(x="day", y="total_bill", data=tips)

# Swarm plot
sns.swarmplot(x="day", y="total_bill", data=tips)

Scatter Plots

# Scatter plot with linear regression model fit
sns.regplot(x="total_bill", y="tip", data=tips)

# Scatter plot without regression model
sns.scatterplot(x="total_bill", y="tip", data=tips)

Heatmaps

# Compute the correlation matrix
corr = tips.corr()

# Generate a heatmap
sns.heatmap(corr, annot=True, fmt=".2f")

Pair Plots

# Pairwise relationships in a dataset
sns.pairplot(tips)

Advanced Visualizations

Facet Grids

# Create a facet grid
g = sns.FacetGrid(tips, col="time", row="smoker")
g.map(sns.scatterplot, "total_bill", "tip")

Joint Plots

# Draw a plot of two variables with bivariate and univariate graphs
sns.jointplot(x="total_bill", y="tip", data=tips, kind="hex")

Customizing Plots

Control Figure Aesthetics

# Customize the appearance
sns.set(style="darkgrid", palette="pastel", font="Verdana", font_scale=1.1)

Saving Plots

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.savefig("output.png")

Seaborn is particularly well-suited for exploratory data analysis (EDA), making it easy to identify patterns and relationships in data with its diverse plotting functions and beautiful default styles. This guide introduces the basics of creating various types of plots with Seaborn, but the library's capabilities are much broader, offering sophisticated options for customizing plots and analyzing complex datasets.

Seaborn’s integration with pandas DataFrames enhances its usability in the data science workflow, making it an indispensable tool for data visualization and exploratory data analysis.