#Data Visualization Tools and Resources

What follows is a list of data visualization tools and resources that Hacks/Hackers Jozi members have used and toyed with in both personal and professional projects.

The tools are grouped according functionality and will be updated whenever new ones are found.

##Interactive Charts and Infographics

###Datawrapper

Datawrapper is an open source tool that lets anyone create simple and correct embeddable charts and maps. The amount of code needed to get a chart running is minimal and they are easily shareable on your sites.

###Google Fusion Tables/Charts

Google Fusion Tables is an experimental application that lets you store, share, query and visualize tables. It offers a REST API to manage tables, info window templates, and styles. The query endpoint allows you to manage data rows (insert/update/delete), and query the table for all rows that match spatial or data conditions. The results of queries can be CSV or JSON, or used in the Google Maps API or Google Chart Tools.

###Infogr.am

Infogr.am is interactive infografics and online charting tool. You can create charts from 30 chart type such as bubble charts, treemaps and pie charts; edit your data by importing it from XLS, XLSX and CSV files; and download your charts in either PDF or PNG format or embed them on your website.

###Lyra

Lyra is a project from the University of Washington that is an interactive environment that enables custom visualization design without writing any code. Graphical “marks” can be bound to data fields using property drop zones; dynamically positioned using connectors; and directly moved, rotated, and resized using handles. Lyra also provides a data pipeline interface for iterative visual specification of data transformations and layout algorithms. Lyra is more expressive than interactive systems like Tableau, allowing designers to create custom visualizations comparable to hand-coded visualizations built with D3 or Processing. These visualizations can then be easily published and reused on the Web.

###R-Studio

RStudio is an interactive IDE that was built for the R statistical analysis language. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux and allows you to chart interactively using CRAN's R language and the many packages that have been developed for it.

##Mapping

###CartoDB

CartoDB allows you to create and style interactive maps using minimal code. Using a free account you can create up to 5 maps that are stored on CartoDB's servers that you can embed in your website.

###Mapbox

Mapbox can be used to create interactive maps using either the desktop Mapbox Studio or online Map Editor. If you have JavaScript coding skills you can also use their JavaScript library to create your own interactive maps.

##Interactive Storytelling

###OdysseyJS

Odyssey is a project out of CartoDB that allows journalists and designers to create interactive stories using minimal to no code at all. You to combine maps, narratives, and other multimedia into a beautiful story. Creating new stories is simple, requiring nothing more than a modern web-browser and an idea.

###TimelineJS

TimelineJS is a project out of Northwestern University's Knight Lab that allows you to build interactive timelines in more than 40 languages. You can build these timelines using Google/Fusion Spreadsheets or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) files.

###KettleCorn

KettleCorn is a customized version of Mozilla's Popcorn Maker that let's journalists synch images, text, maps and Wikipedia articles with video and audio.