Colours for contour plots

Many issues affect a viewer's impression of what a data set is saying. Examples include the choice of colours, the scale's
minimum and maximum range, the addition of contour lines as well as colours, etc. The objective when plotting
scientific or technical data is to display information with as little bias as possible. Since each data set has different
characteristics it is important to experiment with the visualization in order to determine which image best presents the
essential aspects of the data set.
Here are eight different ways of colouring a contour map of EM-31 apparent conductivity data gathered over a site with
a complicated industrial history. The ground contains all manner of industrial waste, including wood waste, concrete some with rebar, old oil tanks, railways lines, and other debris.
2. Rainbow colour contouring with gray bands. The scale's
1. Plain rainbow contouring, with the scale chosen to
emphasize mid range values. Note that negative values are range is more inclusive for this data set, and the bands help
provide some sense of the spatial behaviour within colour
all one colour
zones. The effect is similar to including contour lines on top
of a colour map.

3. This effect helps show both large scale changes,

and small changes within any range.

4. Non linear colour scales, and scales with abrupt changes

in colour can help map the behaviour of specific values
within the data set. However it is easy to give the wrong
overall impression because the eye is drawn to the abrupt
changes rather than being allowed to examine the entire data
set in an un-biased way.

5. Black and white contour plots are often necessary for

reports because colour photo-copying is still more expensive
and less common. Your choice of low = white high = black,
or the opposite depends on the data set, and on your opinion
of what works well.

6. This is the identical scale with black and white values

reversed.

7. The same effect as number 3 can be achieved

in black and white. Again, the effect is similar to,
only better than, including contour lines on top of a
colour map.

8. This type of contour map is perhaps outdated. The large

scale behaviour is apparent, but information about data
between contour lines is completely hidden. A different
choice of contour interval, and a different starting contour
would provide a different impression of the data set.

As an example of considerations to bare in mind, in the first image there is reasonable detail visible between 70m and
100m north, where apparent conductivities are around 25 mS/m. However all the highest apparent conductivities are
red, so details above 100 mS/m are obscured. The second figure shows these features at high values in more detail but
structures around 25 mS/m are harder to discern.
All eight methods of plotting this data set are shown in thumbnail images here, for more direct comparison of the
overall effect of each colouring scheme.

F. Jones, UBC Earth and Ocean Sciences.