diff --git a/src/components/D3Diagram.tsx b/src/components/D3Diagram.tsx
index 1e543d4..e53d8f5 100644
--- a/src/components/D3Diagram.tsx
+++ b/src/components/D3Diagram.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@ const D3Diagram = ({ data, deviceColorMap }: D3DiagramProps) => {
 
   useEffect(() => {
     drawDiagram(d3Ref, data, deviceColorMap);
+
+    const currentD3Ref = d3Ref.current;
+    return () => {
+      if (currentD3Ref && currentD3Ref.firstChild) {
+        currentD3Ref.firstChild.remove();
+      }
+    };
   }, [data, deviceColorMap]);
 
   return <FullSizeContainer ref={d3Ref} />;
diff --git a/src/components/Diagram.tsx b/src/components/Diagram.tsx
index ac8af16..c787191 100644
--- a/src/components/Diagram.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Diagram.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import React, { useMemo } from "react";
+import React, { useMemo, useState, useEffect } from "react";
 import styled from "styled-components";
 import DataType from "../../functions/src/models/DataType";
 import GetMeasurementsParams from "../../functions/src/models/GetMeasurementsParams";
@@ -8,11 +8,13 @@ import { FlexColumn } from "../elements/Flex";
 import { Heading2 } from "../elements/Typography";
 import getMeasurements from "../api/getMeasurements";
 import measurementsContainDataPoints from "./measurementsContainDataPoints";
+import Overlay from "../elements/Overlay";
 
 interface DiagramProps {
   dataType: DataType;
   queryParams: GetMeasurementsParams;
   deviceColorMap: Map<string, string>;
+  autoRefreshPeriod: number;
 }
 
 const DiagramContainer = styled(FlexColumn)`
@@ -26,37 +28,62 @@ const DiagramContainer = styled(FlexColumn)`
 
 const DiagramInner = styled.div`
   display: flex;
+  position: relative;
   flex-grow: 1;
   width: 100%;
   background-color: ${({ theme }) => theme.palette.background.paper};
 `;
 
-const Diagram = ({ dataType, queryParams, deviceColorMap }: DiagramProps) => {
+const Diagram = ({
+  dataType,
+  queryParams,
+  deviceColorMap,
+  autoRefreshPeriod,
+}: DiagramProps) => {
+  const [updateKey, setUpdateKey] = useState(0);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let interval: any = 0;
+    if (autoRefreshPeriod !== 0) {
+      interval = setInterval(
+        () => setUpdateKey(Date.now()),
+        autoRefreshPeriod * 1000
+      );
+    } else {
+      clearInterval(interval);
+    }
+    return () => clearInterval(interval);
+  }, [autoRefreshPeriod]);
   const query = useMemo(() => {
     return getMeasurements(queryParams);
   }, [queryParams]);
 
   const { responseData: measurements, error, isLoading } = useQuery({
     query,
+    compare: updateKey,
   });
 
+  const canShowRealData =
+    measurements &&
+    measurements.length &&
+    measurementsContainDataPoints(measurements);
+
   return (
     <DiagramContainer>
       <Heading2>
-        {dataType.name} (unit: {dataType.unit})
+        {dataType.name} ({dataType.unit})
       </Heading2>
       <DiagramInner>
+        <D3Diagram
+          data={canShowRealData ? measurements! : [["0000000000000000", []]]}
+          deviceColorMap={deviceColorMap}
+        />
         {isLoading ? (
-          "Loading data..."
+          <Overlay>Loading data...</Overlay>
         ) : error ? (
-          "Failed to load data."
-        ) : measurements &&
-          measurements.length &&
-          measurementsContainDataPoints(measurements) ? (
-          <D3Diagram data={measurements} deviceColorMap={deviceColorMap} />
-        ) : (
-          "No data to display."
-        )}
+          <Overlay>Error loading data.</Overlay>
+        ) : !canShowRealData ? (
+          <Overlay>No data to display</Overlay>
+        ) : null}
       </DiagramInner>
     </DiagramContainer>
   );
diff --git a/src/elements/Overlay.ts b/src/elements/Overlay.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..82ac1c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/elements/Overlay.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import styled from "styled-components";
+
+const Overlay = styled.div`
+  backdrop-filter: blur(50px);
+  opacity: 0.9;
+  background-color: ${({ theme }) => theme.palette.background.paper};
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 0;
+  bottom: 0;
+  left: 0;
+  right: 0;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+`;
+
+export default Overlay;
diff --git a/src/elements/Switch.tsx b/src/elements/Switch.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5228fa1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/elements/Switch.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import React from "react";
+import styled from "styled-components";
+
+interface SwitchProps {
+  checked: boolean;
+  label: string;
+  onChange: () => void;
+}
+
+const HiddenSwitch = styled.input.attrs({
+  type: "checkbox",
+})`
+  left: -100%;
+  opacity: 0;
+  position: absolute;
+  margin: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+`;
+
+const SwitchContainer = styled.label`
+  position: relative;
+  display: inline-flex;
+  flex-flow: row nowrap;
+  flex-grow: 0;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  padding-top: ${({ theme }) => theme.spacing.d1}px;
+  padding-bottom: ${({ theme }) => theme.spacing.d1}px;
+`;
+
+const SwitchLabel = styled.span`
+  display: block;
+  margin-left: ${({ theme }) => theme.spacing.d1}px;
+`;
+
+const SwitchBackground = styled.span<Pick<SwitchProps, "checked">>`
+  display: block;
+  width: ${({ theme }) => theme.spacing.d4 + theme.spacing.d2}px;
+  height: ${({ theme }) => theme.spacing.d2}px;
+  border-radius: ${({ theme }) => theme.shapes.borderRadius}px;
+  background-color: ${({ theme }) => theme.palette.grey[100]};
+`;
+
+const SwitchBullet = styled.span<Pick<SwitchProps, "checked">>`
+  display: block;
+  position: absolute;
+  left: ${({ theme, checked }) => (!checked ? "0" : theme.spacing.d4 + "px")};
+  transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;
+  height: ${({ theme }) => theme.spacing.d2}px;
+  width: ${({ theme }) => theme.spacing.d2}px;
+  border-radius: ${({ theme }) => theme.shapes.borderRadius}px;
+  background-color: ${({ theme, checked }) =>
+    !checked ? theme.palette.grey[400] : theme.palette.primary.main};
+`;
+
+const Switch = ({ checked, label, onChange }: SwitchProps) => (
+  <SwitchContainer>
+    <SwitchBackground checked={checked}>
+      <SwitchBullet checked={checked} />
+      <HiddenSwitch checked={checked} onChange={onChange} />
+    </SwitchBackground>
+    <SwitchLabel>{label}</SwitchLabel>
+  </SwitchContainer>
+);
+
+export default Switch;
diff --git a/src/views/MainView.tsx b/src/views/MainView.tsx
index 6a84d3b..81e97e5 100644
--- a/src/views/MainView.tsx
+++ b/src/views/MainView.tsx
@@ -6,13 +6,19 @@ import TimeRangeRow from "../components/TimeRangeRow";
 import { FlexColumn } from "../elements/Flex";
 import GridContainer from "../elements/GridContainer";
 import Label from "../elements/Label";
+import Switch from "../elements/Switch";
 import useQuery from "../hooks/useQuery";
 
+const REFRESH_FREQUENCY = 10;
+
 const MainView = () => {
   const { responseData: dataTypes, error, isLoading } = useQuery({
     query: getDataTypes,
   });
 
+  // 0 is false
+  const [autoRefreshPeriod, setAutoRefreshPeriod] = useState<number>(0);
+
   // empty list state means are all selected
   const [selectedDevices, setSelectedDevices] = useState<string[]>([]);
 
@@ -46,6 +52,15 @@ const MainView = () => {
         setSelectedDevices={setSelectedDevices}
         setDeviceColorMap={setDeviceColorMap}
       />
+      <Switch
+        checked={!!autoRefreshPeriod}
+        onChange={() =>
+          setAutoRefreshPeriod((currentPeriod) =>
+            !!currentPeriod ? 0 : REFRESH_FREQUENCY
+          )
+        }
+        label={`Automatically refresh measurements every ${REFRESH_FREQUENCY} seconds`}
+      />
       <GridContainer spacing="d2">
         {isLoading ? (
           <Label>Loading data types...</Label>
@@ -59,6 +74,7 @@ const MainView = () => {
                   deviceColorMap={deviceColorMap}
                   key={dataType.id}
                   dataType={dataType}
+                  autoRefreshPeriod={autoRefreshPeriod}
                   queryParams={{
                     dataTypes: [dataType.id],
                     devices: selectedDevices,