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| Getting Started with D3 |
D3 (Data-Driven Documents) is an interesting library for creating
browser-based visualizations. Unlike
most JavaScript libraries I’ve looked at, D3 provides tools to declaratively
transform data into graphics formats, rather than providing a pre-canned
monolithic solution to various charting problems. The successor of Protovis, D3 was
specifically created to work with dynamic data.
Its design is elegant and powerful, but it can be pretty
daunting. The website includes a large
number of beautiful visualizations (which I definitely recommend checking out),
some bare-bones API documentation, as well as links to introductions and
talks. Even so, it can be difficult to
know where to begin to learn the library, and I was happy to see Dewar’s book
devoted to it; I’ve been meaning to try out D3 for months but haven’t been able
to work up the time or courage.
I like the book’s format: focused, concise. With such a huge topic it would be possible to
write a formidable, 600 page book that only a few people would actually read. Especially with all the resources on the
internet available, what readers like me need is a push in the right direction.
D3 relies on open-standards and modern
web browsers, but the book doesn't waste time explaining JavaScript, CSS, or
SVG. There are recommended books in the
preface, but nothing more. D3 supports JSON,
XML and CSV as data sources, but Dewar (wisely, I think) focused solely on just
JSON.
The book is structured around a half-dozen visualization
based upon NYC’s mass transit system, with each chapter describing the creation
of increasingly complex output. Even the most complex visualizations are not treated in a great deal of depth, however. The
source and input files are provided on the book’s website. Unfortunately, there are no examples with dynamic content.
The book might have needed closer editing. I noticed a few mistakes in the code of the
printed book, and at times the writing wasn’t very good, in the style of an
informal blog post. It would have been
nice if the author had provided exercises.
I feel after reading the book that I know where to
start with learning D3. In short: if you need a quick start guide to D3, the book will probably be helpful. If you're looking for something more from its 70 pages, you'll be disappointed.
(I read the kindle
version, on my iPod, and the eBook conversion was excellent.)
Product Information:
- O'Reilly: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920025429.do
- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-D3-Mike-Dewar/dp/1449328792
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