Vega-Lite Connected Scatter
A connected scatter plot — a normal scatter where the dots are also connected by a line in time order, so you can see both the x/y relationship at each moment AND how it evolved through time. Vega-Lite layers a `line` mark over a `point` mark with a shared `order: { field: 'time'
Template details
- chart
- scatter
- connected
- trajectory
- vega
- vega-lite
When to use this template
This visualization reveals how the relationship between two quantitative variables changes over time, highlighting non-linear trajectories, reversals, or inflection points that a simple time-series or static scatter plot would obscure. Analysts reach for it to understand dynamic interactions and the path of evolution, especially when the sequence of events is crucial to interpreting the relationship.
- Datasets with two primary quantitative measures.
- A distinct, ordered temporal or sequential variable.
- Moderate to high cardinality of time points.
- Data where the X-Y relationship evolves non-linearly.
- Reveals cyclical, reversing, or inflection point behaviors.
- Ideal for showing a process's historical path or trajectory.