Fred Ridder is correct -- do not use geographic cues in technical documentation, because they are ambiguous (where below?). Per "The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications" (a standard guide for technical documentation, among others), do not use terms such as "above" and "below". If the graphic or table immediately follows, then use "the following"; if the graphic or table immediately precedes, then use "the previous". Otherwise, indicate the page (I only use the page number if the graphic is on another page; otherwise, I say something like "...as shown in Figure 3.1").
Lea Galanter Lead Technical Editor & Writer FTI Technology Seattle, WA