In this review article, the focus is on the graphical study of proteins but, naturally, results for DNA and RNA have also been provided. The article is accompanied by many detailed examples, in order to allow novices in this area to become rapidly involved and further develop the methods presented therein. This article does not merely concern results that have already been achieved but also considers and proposes new avenues of research in bioinformatics and many other areas. The procedures presented here for the quantitative characterization of proteomic maps can be used equally well, for example, in the characterization of two-dimensional NMR maps and elsewhere, where researchers are faced with choosing the optimal display of complex databases.