Datopian Tech

# Data Views

# Introduction

Publishers and users of data want data presented in tables, graphs maps to make it more human “readable”.[1] We use the term “view” or “data view” ofr all these various ways of presenting data in more human “readable” ways.

At base, views need:

  • A descriptive language: for specifying views such as tables, graphs and maps (and their source data).
  • Rendering tools: take those specifications and render actual “live on the web” tables, graphs and maps from those specifications (and their source data)

In addition, we may want:

  • Wizards: to enable (non-technical) users to create tables, graphs, maps etc – and to select the input data to power them.
  • Explorers: that build on the views and wizards to allow users to do interactive data exploratio via live filtering and viewing.
  • Dashboards that combine tables, charts, maps etc (often with widgets that allow users to adjust these e.g. to select a country that updates associated charts).

TIP

Often when we say “view” we identify with the particular presentation such as the table or graph. E.g. we say “this table is a view of that data”. However, when you stop and think, strictly a view is more than that, for example it includes the title for the table. Formally, for us a view will include the combination of the presentation specification, the data sources that feed, plus any general metadata such as a title and description.

# Definitions

  • Preview: a display (of a sample) of a resource
  • Previewer: a method for previewing specific raw data types e.g. csv, excel, json, xml, text, geojson etc …
  • Viz: visualizations e.g. table, graph, map, …
  • Viz Builder: a UI for creating graphs, maps etc
  • Query UI: a UI for building queries of a dataset
  • Explorer: Query UI + Viz Builder + Viz (renderer)

# Features

Definitions for feature clusters

  • View: “(pre)view” a variety of data formats, most importantly tabular and geodata, and extending to PDFs, JSON HTML etc.
    • Tabular:
    • Geo:
    • Chart:
    • Maps:
    • Everything else: this is more a preview
    • Pluggable system
    • Resource proxy (cors issues)
  • Data Explorer: think “tableau lite”, a rich app for querying/loading data and then displaying that in tables, charts, maps etc.
    • Builders:
      • Query Builder:
      • Chart Builder: a wizard for building charts
      • Map Builder
        • Lite: set popups etc.
        • Complex: think carto
  • Rich Viz: bespoke, complex visualization
  • Dashboard: something that has many widgets displayed at once
    • Basic: no linkage between widgets (basic controls)
    • Complex: linkage between widgets (e.g. zooming on the map changes the map, or clicking the map changes the charts)

# CKAN v2

In CKAN v2 and earlier this is provided by the internal view object plus ReclineJS.

  • Controller / Template = frontend controller, templating library or even browser JS
  • “Data Factory” is a fancy name for any business logic that automatically adds views to a dataset. In CKAN 2 this happens as part of the resource creation logic

The sequence of it …

# CKAN v3

In CKAN v3 and DataHub these are provied through the use of Frictionless (Data Package) “Views” and associated tooling.

See:

For more on the technical background see the [Views Design page »][design].

  1. for an introduction to the power and art of visual presentation data see e.g. Tufte Visualizing Information. ↩︎