Data might be boring but visualizing data makes it easily understandable and instantly appealing. Data visualization tools enable your data to be more user-friendly and attractive. Choosing the right data visualization tool is a tedious task because there are numerous tools out there.
Here is a summary of the best data visualization tools you can use during web development.
D3.js
D3.js or simply D3 is a popular data visualization library. D3 allows developers to create even the most complicated graphs and charts. It uses open web technologies such as SVG, HTML, and CSS which is awesome if you mind cross-platform support. D3 is designed for latest browsers and is not compatible with any browser before IE9. You also need to learn D3 API to work with D3.
FusionCharts
FusionCharts has more than 90 charts and 960 maps that can serve the many needs of developers and professional data visualization gurus. Browser compatibility is not an issue as it supports IE6. It is device/platform-agnostic and efficiently works with XML and JSON data formats. Although it is more expensive than other tools, it allows you to test all the charts at no cost before you purchase it.
Tableau Public
Tableau Public is easy to use, capable, and free. It has many maps, charts, graphs and is favorite for the non-developer audience. Its free version attaches a large footer of Tableau branding in the charts you create, but the paid version does not brand your charts.
Charted
Charted is among the tools with the cleanest user interface and is easy to use. To use it, just upload a Google Sheets link or CSV file, and it will create a chart for you. Additionally, it refreshes your chart after every 30 minutes, which updates the data source of your chart. Charted is free and its source code is freely available in case you want to run it on your web server.
Google Charts
Google Charts is usable and works well with all platforms and browsers. It encompasses a broad range of data visualization types which makes it suitable for any project.
Flot
Flot is an easy-to-use charting library that offers elegant graphs and charts. It lets you use advanced user interactions such as zooming, panning, resizing, amongst others. It has a broad range of user-created plugins from the community for everything from simple plot types to advanced labels.
If you are considering visualizing data for your Singapore website, the above tools will be of help. It is essential to evaluate the compatibility of each tool before settling on one. Ideally, the best tool is the one that accommodates the needs of your web design team.
