Chart Studio: one tool, 35 data visualisations!
Chart Studio is a free and open-source tool to create a wide range of interactive charts (at the time of writing, 35!). They go from simple charts such as bar and pie charts to 3D and distribution graphs, such as box plots.
One of the significant advantages of Chart Studio is its web-based builder, so there is no need to download any software. Another useful feature is the creation of interactive dashboards based on charts you created beforehand.
Have a look at what the Chart Studio Community is creating.
There are plenty of easy-to-follow tutorials available for you to get started.
Chart Studio has a few drawbacks, though. Firstly, the free version is capped at 500MB of imported data. Secondly, be mindful the data and charts stored in your account will be publicly available (when on a free version). Finally, the mapping capabilities of Chart Studio are elementary unless you’re working with US data (in this case, you will be able to create choropleth maps).
To sum up, Chart Studio is a suitable tool for data visualisation beginners who want to test different ways of communicating their data. However, it will be somewhat frustrating for those used to mapping data with GIS tools. I would suggest you start working with a sample of your dataset with no confidential information in it (given the limitations mentioned above). If your evaluation of the tool is still positive, you can always upgrade to a paid plan to overcome most of those limitations.
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