A data visualization technique that displays distributions for several groups as overlapping density curves arranged vertically, creating a landscape-like appearance of mountain ridges, designed to reveal patterns of change in distributions across ordered categories or time. Parameters: vertical position encodes category; curve shape encodes density; overlap transparency controls readability. Persists as a design convention in statistical graphics software including ggplot2 and Seaborn. [formal: dorsiplantum | substrate: matter | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
ridge plot
A data visualization technique that displays distributions for several groups as overlapping density curves arranged vertically, creating a landscape-like appearance of mountain ridges, designed to reveal patterns of change in distribution…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made data visualization technique that displays distributions for several groups as overlapping density curves arranged vertically, creating a landscape-like appearance of mountain ridges, designed to reveal patterns of change in distributions across ordered categories or time.
Names and aliases
- ridge ploten · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrvfy7ya011u2ceilq543hu4INSTANCE_OF →
A ridge plot (ridgeline plot) is a specific type of plot that overlays density curves for comparative visualization. INSTANCE_OF tested: competent speakers would call a ridge plot a kind of plot.
- cmsdjmpqg03zs3vv3agz7lxweDEPENDS_ON →
A ridge plot IS a series of kernel density estimates arranged along an axis (typically a categorical variable). Remove KDE and the ridge plot ceases to function — its entire visual encoding is built from KDE bandwidth selection and density calculation. The removal test is satisfied: without KDE there is no ridge plot.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 23, 2026, 7:45 AM UTC
- Content hash
- b36ee106edd265a1699599afcf2625d4e767860a0e681be9e6c06310180bc2e1