WebPlotDigitizer is a computer vision assisted tool that extracts numerical data from images of charts, graphs, and other data visualizations.
The tool solves the problem of recovering quantitative data trapped in visual form—plots in papers, reports, or other documents where the underlying numbers are unavailable. It uses computer vision techniques to identify plot elements, axes, and data points, then converts them into extractable numerical values. Users upload or provide images of visualizations and the tool assists in digitizing the data through a web interface.
WebPlotDigitizer suits researchers, academics, and industry professionals who need to recover data from published figures or historical charts. It works with a variety of visualization types and has been applied across scientific and technical domains. The tool is available as a web application requiring sign-up on the project's homepage, with both free and potentially premium features including cloud-based AI assistance for more complex extraction tasks.
Development of the tool is community-conscious but controlled. The maintainer requests consultation before accepting contributions and does not publish an official roadmap, indicating a deliberate approach to feature direction. The frontend code is open source under the GNU AGPL v3 license, while cloud-based systems and AI assistance features remain proprietary. Documentation is maintained separately on the project website.
