How To Produce Ultra-Compact Vector Graphic Plots With Orthogonal Distance Fitting

Summary

SVG vector plots with Orthogonal Distance Fitting produce ultra-compact, high-quality visualizations by fitting Bezier curves.

Compact vector plots with ODF algorithm

Towards Data Science describes a method to generate ultra-compact SVG plots using Orthogonal Distance Fitting. By fitting Bezier curves with an ODF algorithm, vector images are created that are a fraction of the file size of traditional raster plots without quality loss. The technique is particularly suited for publications and web applications.

Why this matters for data visualization

For BI professionals publishing dashboards and reports on the web, SVG offers significant advantages. Vector graphics scale perfectly to any screen size, load faster, and remain sharp at every resolution. The ODF method makes it possible to visualize complex datasets in files that are only a few kilobytes.

Practical application

Experiment with SVG export in your current visualization tools and compare file sizes with PNG or JPEG. Consider Bezier curve fitting for time series data where smooth lines matter more than pixel-precise data points. Integrate SVG output in your web dashboards for better load times.