Surface Plot

In this type of graph , a surface (defined by a smoothing technique or user-defined mathematical expression) is fitted to the categorized data (variables corresponding to sets of data determined by the selected categorization method) arranged in one display to allow for comparisons between the subsets of data (categories).

For a detailed discussion of Categorized Graphs, see Categorized Graphs in Selected Topics in Graphical Analytic Techniques.

This sequential plot fits a spline-smoothed surface to each data point. Successive values of each series are plotted along the X-axis, with each successive series represented along the Y-axis.