Matplotlib is among the most popular and advanced function libraries for the production of journal-quality data visualisations. In this course, participants will first learn/review how to use Matplotlib and what plotting options. Then, participants will be introduced to resources and techniques to make their plots both richer in content and more accessible. The course material includes, but is not limited to:

• How to load and run Matplotlib on COSMOS;
• What standard plot types are available;
• How to choose between different plot types depending on the type, size, shape, and distribution of data;
• What are some good practices to make figures more accessible to viewers with common disabilities; and
• What are the constraints that journals typically impose and how to accommodate them.

This course will run for 2 days, fika-to-fika (10:00-15:00 with a lunch break) and consists of alternating blocks of lectures with demonstrations and exercises via Jupyter notebooks for students to practice with prepared data. The course will be taught in English via zoom.

Prerequisites

Participants should be comfortable with Python 3, Numpy, I/O of data tables, using dictionaries, and formatting strings. Prior experience producing basic plots (e.g. line plots, scatter plots, or histograms) with Matplotlib will be helpful in later sections, but is not mandatory.

Prior exposure to LaTeX will be helpful for formatting data labels later in the course, but the basic syntax and a reference link for common math symbols will be provided.

For the hands-on exercises, access to a laptop or desktop computer with a working Python 3 installation is required. Further instructions will be shared with registered participants closer to the event.

Instructor

Rebecca Pitts (application expert at LUNARC, PhD in Astronomy) will be the principal instructor.

Location

The course is online.  Registered participants will be provided with a zoom-link before the event.

Dates

8-9 April 2025

Daily schedule

• Lecture block 1 – 10:00-10:50

• Exercise block 1 – 11:00-12:00

• Lecture block 2 – 13:00-13:50

• Exercise block 2 – 14:00-15:00

Registration

Please use the registration page to register for the course. Registration will close 30 March.

Comments/Questions

For comments and questions, please contact LUNARC support