Graphical Methods in Statistics

Abstract Graphical methods have played a central role in the development of statistical theory and practice. This presentation briefly reviews some of the highlights in the historical development of statistical graphics and gives a simple taxonomy that can be used to characterize the current use of graphical methods. This taxonomy is used to describe the evolution of the use of graphics in some major statistical and related scientific journals. Some recent advances in the use of graphical methods for statistical analysis are reviewed, and several graphical methods for the statistical presentation of data are illustrated, including the use of multicolor maps.