Data Integration and Visualization Engine (DIVE)

The Data Integration and Visualization Engine (DIVE) is a platform for semi-automatically generating web-based, interactive visualizations of structured data sets. Data visualization is a useful method for understanding complex phenomena, communicating information, and informing inquiry. However, available tools for data visualization are difficult to learn and use, require a priori knowledge of what visualizations to create. See dive.media.mit.edu for more information.

Write-up and documentation

See this Google Doc.

Development task list

See our Trello. Currently private, PM Kevin for access.

Development Build Process

1. Run npm install in base directory to get development and client-side dependencies.
2. In one terminal session, gulp in base directory (if gulp is installed globally) else ./node_modules/.bin/gulp to build ./dist directory and run development server. Access server at localhost:3000 in browser.
3. In another terminal session, run API (see below, default port 8888).

Deployment Build Process

1. Run gulp build to build ./dist directory

Using Virtual Env to Manage Server-Side Dependencies

0. Install Homebrew if you don't already have it.
1. Installation: See this fine tutorial.
2. Freezing virtual env packages: pip freeze > requirements.txt.
3. Starting virtual env: source venv/bin/activate.
4. Reloading from requirements.txt (while virtualenv is active): pip install -r requirements.txt.
5. Install XQuartz: brew install Caskroom/cask/xquartz.
6. Install Cairo: brew install cairo.
7. Install MongoDB: brew install mongodb and follow the instructions to run mongodb on login and immediately.

Run Server-Side Code / API

1. Load virtual environment.
2. Run mongod: mongod --dbpath server/uploads
3. In active virtual environment with all dependencies, in base directory, run shell script to activate Gunicorn server: sh server/run.sh.