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Data visualization platforms

• DataMarket - portal to share and sell datasets via download and API with powerful visualization options that can be embedded
• Knoema - portal to share datasets publicly or privately via download and API with powerful visualization options that can be embedded
• Tableau Public - free tool to create powerful visualizations and embed them on websites
• Many Eyes - powered by IBM, provides visualization options that can be shared and embedded
• Datamarket - fundamentally a data marketplace, but enables visualizing those data
• ArcGIS.com - upload, save and share your own data, mash up with other data sources. Drag & drop point data. Embed maps on your website
• Google Maps - map your data and make them findable
• Google Fusion Tables - visualize and publish maps, timelines and charts

Data publishing platforms

• Socrata - provide open data services and platforms
• CKAN - open source data portal platform, provided by the Open Knowledge Foundation
• Open Government Platform - basically Data.gov in a box, providing open source tools to launch a data sharing platform
• European Open Government Data Initiative (OGDI) solution - set of software tools to publish data and host them on Microsoft Cloud, mostly aimed at governments
• DevInfo - UN endorsed tool that helps organize, store and present data
• Space-Time Research - analytics and visualization solutions that help share data
• Tableau Software - visualization platform that can be used to share indicator data
• Voyager GIS - cataloguing tool for GIS data, includes option to create portal for internal and external data sharing

Data visualization frameworks (coding required)

• D3 - innovative visualization framework enabling manipulation of documents based on data, JavaScript-based (created by the creators of Protovis); powerful tool but requires somewhat sophisticated coding skills
• Tributary - simple interface for live coding of D3 (see changes to the code come to life immediately)
• Highcharts - charting library in JavaScript for intuitive, interactive charts; a bit easier to use than D3 but more limited in its chart options (line, spline, area, areaspline, column, bar, pie and scatter chart); to visualize timeline, use Highstock.
• StatPlanet - free software to create interactive maps and charts; the free version supports 5 indicators, the full version, StatPlanet Plus, also adds functionality and can be used for free for non-commercial purposes
• Raphaël - visualization library simplifying vector graphics; JavaScript based, uses SVG and VML as base
• Kartograph - mapping framework that works with vector graphics rather than tiles, JavaScript-based
• MetaLayer - discover and share insights from data via infographics
• WEAVE - Web-based analysis and visualization environment
• Processing - layer on top of Java/OpenGL to create images, animations, and interactions, but limited widget support (open source)
• The Miso Project - set of JavaScript libraries that enables the processes of managing data, building reusable components, and authoring narratives; first release: Dataset, a JavaScript client-side data transformation and management library
• Clear maps

GIS packages (coding required)

• PostGIS - spatially enables PostgreSQL server
• Mapbox - map your data on streetmaps provided by OpenStreetMap
• Tilemill - design studio to create maps, powered by MapBox
• Leaflet - JavaScript library to create interactive maps
• MapBox - cloud based platform to store and share maps
• Health Mapper - created by WHO, aimed at public health officials
• Esri ArcGIS suite / GeoIQ
• GeoNode
• InstantAtlas

Data tools: conversion, exploration, analysis

• Microsoft Excel - still the standard for many as the easy first stop to review data
• Data Science Toolkit - collection of useful tools to extract and convert test, GIS and other data (my overview here)
• ScraperWiki - provides software and instructions to extract data and information from web sites
• Google Refine - clean, organize, refine (duh!) and explore your new datasets,  great for exploring new datasets
• Data Wrangler- helps transform messy data into nicely formatted table for user in analysis and visualization software
• Overview - clean, visualize and interactively explore large documents and data set (started by AP)
• The PANDA Project - the new newsroom data appliance
• Stat/Transfer - converts data between formats of statstical analysis packages
• Epi Info - free software package from CDC that provides data collection, advanced statistical analyses, and GIS mapping capability
• VistaMetrix - extract data from any graphic by selecting which points to capture in an overlay; works on pictures and video
• csvkit - performs search, query, filter and other operations on csv files; enables SQL-style joins on csv files

Mobile data collection

• Open Data Kit (ODK) - University of Washington based research group developing an innovative, open source platform to enable mobile data collection
• Frontline SMS
• Medic Mobile - enables data collection via regular phones via SIM apps; extends existing open-source platforms, including FrontlineSMS, OpenMRS, Ushahidi, Google Apps, and HealthMap

Data service providers

• Captricity - start-up that helps turning paper into data, based on Shreddr technology
• Amazon Mechanical Turk - crowdsourcing
• CrowdFlower - crowdsourcing
• MobileWorks - crowdsourcing
• Metadata Technology - providing metadtata solutions and services, focus on DDI and SDMX
• Integrated Data Management Services - providing support for data management, documentation, standardization and more
• Muller Media - rescuing data from old tapes or discs, data conversions and migrations

Source - Health data innovation toolbox

Good Implementations

• Visualise US elections
• Altas Project - More here
• TheBallet.in
• TheBallet.Org - Very Interesting.
• Google Election Centre
• This US Budget Visualization Tool Unveils the Government's Inner Workings
  *USATODAY - Elections - Live results
  *World Bank - Open Data

More Sources of Inspiration

• Development seed projects
• US Data
• 5 ways to visualise elections
• 4 ways to visualise voters sentiment

Starting a discussion about what patterns to use in our JS :

AMD module pattern

So we are using requireJS for AMD pattern. Makes the code easier to use and allows loose coupling of all modules ( read more about loose coupling ) . Also makes conditional loading super easy, only load what is required, when it is required.
''' load bootstrap modal JS only when some action requiring modal is called, rather than including it by default'''

Seeing the browser Support of SVG, I think we are good to go with D3.js as of now. If any issue arises after testing it in mobile, we might switch to fallback Raphael.

It's not gonna be supported in IE 8

I'm having a bit of information overload. Can somebody please tell me what and where I should start my reading with?

Need to figure out what raphael is for ?

Found one : https://github.com/akikoo/grunt-frontend-workflow

http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/#/?part=tunnel-creek

They are insanely crazy man. This is one of the best ways of showing content I have seen in a long time. @flyankur @pragunbhutani @pravee-n

Django & Pjax

• Good read
• Django-pjaxr
• Django-pjax