The Use of Faces to Represent Points in K-Dimensional Space Graphically

Publication Type  Journal Article
Author  Chernoff H
Year of Publication  1973
Journal  Journal of the American Statistical Association
Volume  68
Issue  342
Pages  361-368
Abstract  

A novel method of representing multivariate data is presented. Each point in k-dimensional space, k≤18, is represented by a cartoon of a face whose features, such as length of nose and curvature of mouth, correspond to components of the point. Thus every multivariate observation is visualized as a computer-drawn face. This presentation makes it easy for the human mind to grasp many of the essential regularities and irregularities present in the data. Other graphical representations are described briefly.

URL  http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0162-1459%28197306%2968%3A342%3C361%3ATUOFTR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2