Thread: Newbie just starting on charting with PHP - and seeking advice on options/approaches

> I am looking at options to chart dynamic data held in the PostgreSQL
> database pushed out to the web 'pages' via PHP, time series data in a
> scientific setting such as groundwater levels from a transducer…
>

You lost me on 'groundwater levels from a transducer', but we use
http://www.aditus.nu/jpgraph/
You'll need to check if they have the type you're looking to create.
I believe they have a version for <$100.

Hi Greg;

This is really a php/web thing and not a postgresql/db thing.


I recently started using Yahoo's Charts Control project for some web
data visualization.
http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/examples/charts/index.html

It uses Flash which has it's upside (no image manipulation, PHP/GD
integration, simpler) and its downside (requires users to have Flash).

I haven't looked at Mike's suggestion, but considering that both Yahoo
and Google offer liberally sourced libraries for data visualization on
the web, is the for-pay product really superior?

Isaac Vetter

Greg Cocks wrote:
> *Hello*,
>
>
>
> I am looking at options to chart dynamic data held in the PostgreSQL
> database pushed out to the web ‘pages’ via PHP, time series data in a
> scientific setting such as groundwater levels from a transducer…
>
>
>
> *I was seeking any input anyone might care to offer…*
>
>
>
> _Initial searching found these_:
>
>
>
>     * http://www.maani.us/charts/index.php (with newbie tutorial I found
>       at http://www.developer.com/lang/php/article.php/3714046 )
>
>
>
>     * http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/chart/chart-manual.php
>
>
>
>     * http://www.amcharts.com/
>
>
>
>     * http://naku.dohcrew.com/libchart/pages/introduction/
>
>
>
>     * http://code.google.com/apis/chart/ (simple example explained here
>       à http://james.cridland.net/code/google-chart.html )
>
>
>
>     * Or any other thoughts??
>
>
>
> (I guess I could maybe pull together US$100 for licence if needed…)
>
>
>
> I don’t need anything fancy, as the technical data analysis will be done
> inside the network with ODBC, etc… this is more for the less-technical
> web page user to see the data graphically… (much like they can see it
> spatially via MapServer…)
>
>
>
> *Thanks in advance!*
>
>
>
>
>
> ----------
> Regards,
> **/GREG COCKS/**/
> /GIS Analyst V
> gcocks|at|stoller.com <blocked::mailto:gcocks@stoller.com>
> S. M. Stoller Corp
> 105 Technology Drive, Suite 190
> Broomfield, CO 80021
> www.stoller.com <blocked::http://www.stoller.com/>
> 303-546-4300
> 303-443-1408 fax
> 303-546-4422 direct
> 303-828-7576 cell
>
>
>

On Jan 25, 2008 5:07 PM, Isaac Vetter <ivetter@math.purdue.edu> wrote:
> Hi Greg;
>
> This is really a php/web thing and not a postgresql/db thing.

> I recently started using Yahoo's Charts Control project for some web
> data visualization.
> http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/examples/charts/index.html
>
Good link.  In fact, we may switch. :-)

Mike Ellsworth wrote:
>> I am looking at options to chart dynamic data held in the PostgreSQL
>> database pushed out to the web 'pages' via PHP, time series data in a
>> scientific setting such as groundwater levels from a transducer…
>>
>>
>
> You lost me on 'groundwater levels from a transducer', but we use
> http://www.aditus.nu/jpgraph/
> You'll need to check if they have the type you're looking to create.
> I believe they have a version for <$100.
>
Really not a PG question but you might ask in the PG/PHP list anyway. We
use JPGraph. Yeah, it's not free. But it is quite inexpensive and worth
the cost if it saves you more than a couple hours of development time.

JPGraph is built on lower-level functions directly available in PHP. If
your graphs are fairly straightforward, you can roll-your-own in PHP.

You can also generate them externally to PHP with gnuplot or similar.
Depending on your requirements, you can just have cron update the
graphics at the appropriate periods and serve them statically.

Stat packages like R can generate graphs from your data. svgGraph will
do svg graphs directly from PHP as long as your visitors can view SVG
(FireFox, IE if they have the appropriate plugin). Also look at some of
the pear packages.

This barely scratches the surface - you have lots o' options.

Cheers,
Steve

Issac,

Thanks... sorry for the delay in replying...

I like this application... very neat...

I think though that I might be stretching the non-technical users (who are often the senior staff) to get Flash
installedand the security opened up, etc... 

I have been looking at JpGraph... and Google's API... and I tried PHPlot off SourceForge, true 'roll your own' as
someonesaid... 

I like "free" but the canned functionality of JpGraph at a cost of a less than two hours of my charge-out time to the
projectis tempting - especially as the pro version has Windrose capabilities on the fly (which we would use), something
hardto find even in a non-web setting! 

Hmmm... so many choices, and as you know once I have started investing  in one solution I will be lax to switch to
another!   :-) 


Regards,
GREG COCKS
Gcocks|at|stoller.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Isaac Vetter [mailto:ivetter@math.purdue.edu]
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 3:08 PM
To: Greg Cocks
Cc: PostgreSQL List - Novice
Subject: Re: [NOVICE] Newbie just starting on charting with PHP - and seeking advice on options/approaches

Hi Greg;

This is really a php/web thing and not a postgresql/db thing.


I recently started using Yahoo's Charts Control project for some web
data visualization.
http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/examples/charts/index.html

It uses Flash which has it's upside (no image manipulation, PHP/GD
integration, simpler) and its downside (requires users to have Flash).

I haven't looked at Mike's suggestion, but considering that both Yahoo
and Google offer liberally sourced libraries for data visualization on
the web, is the for-pay product really superior?

Isaac Vetter

Greg Cocks wrote:
> *Hello*,
>
>
>
> I am looking at options to chart dynamic data held in the PostgreSQL
> database pushed out to the web 'pages' via PHP, time series data in a
> scientific setting such as groundwater levels from a transducer...
>
>
>
> *I was seeking any input anyone might care to offer...*
>
>
>
> _Initial searching found these_:
>
>
>
>     * http://www.maani.us/charts/index.php (with newbie tutorial I found
>       at http://www.developer.com/lang/php/article.php/3714046 )
>
>
>
>     * http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/chart/chart-manual.php
>
>
>
>     * http://www.amcharts.com/
>
>
>
>     * http://naku.dohcrew.com/libchart/pages/introduction/
>
>
>
>     * http://code.google.com/apis/chart/ (simple example explained here
>       à http://james.cridland.net/code/google-chart.html )
>
>
>
>     * Or any other thoughts??
>
>
>
> (I guess I could maybe pull together US$100 for licence if needed...)
>
>
>
> I don't need anything fancy, as the technical data analysis will be done
> inside the network with ODBC, etc... this is more for the less-technical
> web page user to see the data graphically... (much like they can see it
> spatially via MapServer...)
>
>
>
> *Thanks in advance!*
>
>
>
>
>
> ----------
> Regards,
> **/GREG COCKS/**/
> /GIS Analyst V
> gcocks|at|stoller.com <blocked::mailto:gcocks@stoller.com>
> S. M. Stoller Corp
> 105 Technology Drive, Suite 190
> Broomfield, CO 80021
> www.stoller.com <blocked::http://www.stoller.com/>
> 303-546-4300
> 303-443-1408 fax
> 303-546-4422 direct
> 303-828-7576 cell
>
>
>