Data Visualization with JavaScript

by Stephen A. Thomas

Overview

You’ve got data to communicate. But what kind of visualization do you choose, how do you build your visualizations, and how do you ensure that they're up to the demands of the Web?

In Data Visualization with JavaScript, you’ll learn how to use JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to build practical visualizations for your data. Step-by-step examples walk you through creating, integrating, and debugging different types of visualizations and you'll be building basic visualizations (like bar, line, and scatter graphs) in no time.

You'll also learn how to:
–Create tree maps, heat maps, network graphs, word clouds, and timelines
–Map geographic data, and build sparklines and composite charts
–Add interactivity and retrieve data with AJAX
–Manage data in the browser and build data-driven web applications
–Harness the power of the Flotr2, Flot, Chronoline.js, D3.js, Underscore.js, and Backbone.js libraries

If you already know your way around building a web page but aren’t quite sure how to build a good visualization, Data Visualization with JavaScript will help you get your feet wet without throwing you into the deep end. You’ll soon be well on your way to creating simple, powerful data visualizations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593276768
Publisher:	No Starch Press
Publication date:	03/15/2015
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Stephen A. Thomas specializes in frontend development at Georgia Tech’s Department of Education Technology and has developed complex JavaScript visualizations for the health-care and security industries. He writes and speaks about data visualization in publications and at conferences around the world.

Table of Contents

About the Author;
About the Technical Reviewer;
Acknowledgments;
Introduction;
The Book’s Philosophy;
The Book’s Contents;
Source Code for Examples;
Chapter 1: Graphing Data;
1.1 Creating a Basic Bar Chart;
1.2 Plotting Continuous Data with a Line Chart;
1.3 Emphasizing Fractions Using a Pie Chart;
1.4 Plotting X/Y Data with a Scatter Chart;
1.5 Adding Magnitudes to X/Y Data with a Bubble Chart;
1.6 Displaying Multidimensional Data with a Radar Chart;
1.7 Summing Up;
Chapter 2: Making Charts Interactive;
2.1 Selecting Chart Content;
2.2 Zooming In on Charts;
2.3 Tracking Data Values;
2.4 Retrieving Data Using AJAX;
2.5 Summing Up;
Chapter 3: Integrating Charts on a Page;
3.1 Creating a Classic Sparkline;
3.2 Charting Many Variables;
3.3 Annotating Sparklines;
3.4 Drawing Composite Charts;
3.5 Responding to Click Events;
3.6 Updating Charts in Real Time;
3.7 Summing Up;
Chapter 4: Creating Specialized Graphs;
4.1 Visualizing Hierarchies with Tree Maps;
4.2 Highlighting Regions with a Heat Map;
4.3 Showing Relationships with Network Graphs;
4.4 Revealing Language Patterns with Word Clouds;
4.5 Summing Up;
Chapter 5: Displaying Timelines;
5.1 Building Timelines with a Library;
5.2 Building Timelines with JavaScript;
5.3 Using a Web Component;
5.4 Summing Up;
Chapter 6: Visualizing Geographic Data;
6.1 Using Map Fonts;
6.2 Working with Scalable Vector Graphics;
6.3 Including Maps for Context;
6.4 Integrating a Full-Featured Mapping Library;
6.5 Summing Up;
Chapter 7: Custom Visualizations with D3.js;
7.1 Adapting a Traditional Chart Type;
7.2 Creating a Force-Directed Network Graph;
7.3 Creating a Scalable Map;
7.4 Creating a Unique Visualization;
7.5 Summing Up;
Chapter 8: Managing Data in the Browser;
8.1 Using Functional Programming;
8.2 Working with Arrays;
8.3 Enhancing Objects;
8.4 Manipulating Collections;
8.5 Summing Up;
Chapter 9: Building Data-Driven Web Applications: Part 1;
9.1 Frameworks and Libraries;
9.2 Models and Views;
9.3 Views for Visualizations;
9.4 Summing Up;
Chapter 10: Building Data-Driven Web Applications: Part 2;
10.1 Connecting with the Nike+ Service;
10.2 Putting It All Together;
10.3 Summing Up;
Updates;