Fix non-uniform colormaps with fixthejet

Why (and how) to avoid perceptually non-uniform colormaps

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Information is not knowledge.

Information can be converted into knowledge if patterns underlying the information are well understood. In today’s day and age of fast-paced advances in science and technology, one of the key information sources is data. It is hardly surprising then that we produce a lot of it- about 2.5 quintillion bytes every day.

One of the most powerful ways to understand scientific data (and thus transform it into knowledge) is by plotting it.

Want to know if human weight is related to height? Plot it!

Want to know whether the expansion of the universe is accelerating? Plot it!

Want to know how hot it gets the farther you go from the equator? Plot it … err carefully!

Although visualizations can be powerful to consume data quickly and derive insights, they can also be harmful if not done right.

In this article we will learn:

1. Why be careful with our choice of colormaps?
2. Why not use the “jet” and all other perceptually non-uniform colormaps?
3. How to change the colormaps of poorly-made figures using a new python…