March 15, 2010
Meuon
0 comments

keywords:
SVG
Smart
Grid
Data
Visualization
PHP

SVG Based Graphs

I've been playing around with SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) for a few days as a tool to display data, as graphs/charts as well as ways to visual distribution grids, and more. Absolutely loverly technology, if you are NOT using a Microsoft web browser. Firefox and Opera and others support SVG, and it works very very well. I'm currently evaluating plugins for MSIE, but it's a fragmented world. There may be some SVG support coming in MS's Silverlight, but it is expected to be borken in Microsoft traditional: Embrace, Extend, Extinguish methodology. If you click on the image above to see the results, if you can display SVG in a browser.

If you are using MSIE, (Microsoft Internet Explorer) (32 bit) you can use: a Mozilla Firefox ActiveX plugin for MSIE available from:
a Mozilla Firefox ActiveX plugin for MSIE that seems to work very well.

September 06, 2008
meuon
0 comments

keywords:
PHP
Data
Visualization

Low Tech Data Display.

There is a lot of push towards incredibly powerful web toolkits. Very complex javascript, lots of embedded flash. But that requires powerful client computers, and all that JavaScript/ActionScript has fits crossing domains, for good reasons. So you have to go back to old school. Enter PHP and GDlib creating graphics on the fly at the web server. Geeky kWh Gauge example in PHP will create (given some assumptions) nice looking graphs as an image and will try to resize itself and the data nicely based on parameters given.

It's useful for embedding data displays low tech browsers as well as things like Chumby's, Google Electricity/kWh Gadgets and other widgets where everything but images seem to be cached, relayed, or protected from embedding data from other sources. The best part is the looks you get when showing to "Web 2.0 kids" who can't conceive of doing it without an IDE, JavaScript/ActionScript and possibly a fat embed/object download..

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