Multiple Line Graphs

[insitu]

Comrades:

I would like to plot multiple line graphs (about 300 line graphs) for
subjects who participated in a study on one, two or three charts (more than
one chart might be needed to allow readability). The y axis will show a
severity score for a medical condition (sign or symptom) that ranges from a
value of zero to four and the x axis will show visit number (i.e. Visit1
thru visit 5). I agree that these are too many line graphs to plot on one,
two or three charts, but it's necessary that I do it.

The severity score for the medical condition for all the subjects tends to
be same (very little deviation is seen between subjects) for each visit.
This means that the line graphs will overlap on the chart. I would like to
create an offset (a little distance) between the line graphs on the x axis
(or perhaps on the y axis) so that even if the score for the condition for
the various subjects might be the same, the line graphs will NOT overlap.
The goal here is an attempt to show all the line graphs to delineate the
trend of the medical condition over the five visits for all the subjects
without having them overlap even though the severity score for the medical
condition might be the same.

Any help you can afford will be greatly appreciated.

Insitu

 

[Jon Peltier]

Would this approach be worthwhile:

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/ParallelCoord.html

Replace the categories at the bottom of the chart with 1-5 for visit number.
Make all series gray, then one or a small number in a highlight color.
You'll be able to see all the data, while focusing on one or a small number
of individual sets of scores.

Sounds like you're going to hit Excel's limit of 255 series per chart.

- Jon

 

[insitu]

Jon:

Definitely this approach of "parallel coordinates" makes sense. But what
chart are you referring to?

Again, your help is greatly appreciated.

Insitu

 

[insitu]

Jon:

I have pasted a part of the data to provide insight of the
question--generating multiple line graphs that do not overlap on the same
chart. Visit number will go on the x axis; severity score (for sign or
symptom) which ranges from 0-4 will go on the y axis. Subject ID will serve
as the legend. Notice that the severity scores for the sign or symptom for
all subjects for each visit have very little deviation--this poses the
challenge in plotting multiple line graphs on the same chart. Again, my
question is, what trick can be applied in plotting multiple line graphs on
the same chart without having an overlap of the lines? Will still the idea
of "parallel coordinates" work with Excel? See the data below.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

subject ID Visit1 Visit2 Visit3 Visit4 Visit5

079254 0 0 0 0 0
079255 2 2 2 0 2
079256 1 1 1 1 1
079257 0 1 1 0 0
079259 0 0 1 0 1
079260 1 0 0 0 0
079261 1 1 1 2 2
079262 2 3 1 2 2
079263 2 1 0 0 0
079264 2 2 2 1 1
079379 2 2 1 1 1
079380 2 0 0 0 0
079381 1 0 0 0 0
079382 1 0 0 0 0
079384 2 1 0 0 0
079397 1 0 0 0 0
079398 1 0 0 0 0
079399 1 1 0 0 0
079400 2 0 1 1 1
092085 1 2 2 0 0
092086 1 2 2 0 0
092087 2 1 0 0 0
092088 2 0 0 0 0
096133 2 2 1 1 0
096134 1 0 0 0 0
096135 2 1 1 0 0
096136 2 1 0 0 0
096137 2 1 1 0 0
096138 2 1 0 0 0
096139 2 1 1 1 1

 

[Jon Peltier]

I wrote up a procedure to make a parallel coordinate chart with your data,
and posted a sample workbook:

http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/2008/09/09/sample-parallel-coordinate-chart/

Perhaps this will give you a better idea of how it will work.

- Jon

 

[insitu]

Jon:

Thank you so much. If I need additional help, I would let you know.