The New York Times has unveiled a “Visualization Lab” that allows readers to create graphs and charts based on data Times staffers compile. You can create bar charts, scatterplots, tag clouds, maps, stack graphs, tree maps, and other forms.

While they’re still imperfect (a little explanatory text would go a long way on some of the less familiar forms), it’s more evidence that the Times is lapping the rest of America’s newspapers in the presentation of data. There’s no one else even in their league.