A New Hope For Google Visualization API
When the Google AJAX Search team first introduced the Google Visualization API early this year in a hope to reshape the future of online data visualization, it was met with a lukewarm response. Not because it wasn’t good, but because data could only be used from Google Spreadsheets. Not any more.
Google announced a couple of days ago that they
are expanding the capabilities of the Google Visualization API by enabling developers to display data from any data source connected to the web (any database, Excel spreadsheet, etc.), not just from Google Spreadsheets.”
With the increase in data, its types, its complexity, and the surge in the variety of reporting tools, this flexibility to use the API with “any data source” is very encouraging. I wonder whether this could also bring in better standards in data collecting and reporting, when a large number of developers streamline themselves to be able to seamlessly use the API.
The Google Visualization API is hosted on Google Code and is extensively documented. Head over the Introduction or FAQs and get started. Remember, some of the gadgets are third-party developed, and may not have been reviewed by Google for performance nor security.
Image Source: Intensity Map Gadget in Google Visualization API on Google Code.
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
Google visualizations can accept now data sources URL’s that are not spreadsheets, i.e you can create a Google visualization compliant data source feed that can be read by visualizations, much like RSS readers read RSS feeds.
One API that can convert raw data into Google visualization feed is GVStreamer by http://www.gvstreamer.com
I am looking for alternatives to Google Visualization API, because i need to be able to operate in OFFline mode.
any suggestions?