Data.gov now enables the public to open data directly with apps like Plotly and CartoDB for robust visualization and analysis.

New tools are making it easier to visualize and analyze data at the click of a button. Data.gov is proud to announce integration with two of these tools — Plotly and CartoDB — making it possible to create graphs and dynamic maps with open government data in one click.

On supported datasets, a new “Open With” menu will appear giving you the option to open the dataset directly with these third party services. No need to download and upload, just click the link and go.

Plotly

Plotly converts datasets into collaborative graphs and data visualizations for the web. With Plotly you can create and customize a variety of interactive visualizations: bar, line, and scatter graphs, heat maps, area graphs, bubble chart, histograms, linear regressions, box plots, 3D graphs, and more. More advanced users can crunch data with any custom function, (including derivatives, integrals, inferential or descriptive basic statistics, chi-squared test, T-test, and ANOVA) and create simulations with Python scripts. To view existing data visualizations with Plotly, you can explore their graphing news feed.

CartoDB

CartoDB converts geospatial datasets into dynamic customizable maps for the web in seconds. Once the map is automatically created users can filter and refine the visualized data to gain insights and tell stories. Users can customize the appearance of the maps through a variety of beautiful themes and advanced users can leverage CartoCSS, a cascading style sheet language for maps. To see the potential of CartoDB, their website has a gallery of maps using government data.

Both Plotly and CartoDB make it easy to share and edit your work privately, with your co-workers, or the world. There is so much to learn from open government data and we are happy to feature tools like Plotly and CartoDB that make it easier for everyone to become a data scientist. If you create a great data visualization with Data.gov data please let us know!

With More to Come

The integration with Plotly and CartoDB is made possible with nothing more than simple website links and Data.gov will be expanding these options to include other third party services in the future.

The “Open With” menu is currently made available for smaller CSV and XLS files and will not appear when these files are not verified as a functioning CSV or XLS file. Other file formats are also supported, such as KML and zipped Shapefiles for use with CartoDB, but currently Data.gov does not validate these file formats before providing the link. In some cases, the format specified in dataset metadata on Data.gov does not accurately reflect the linked file. If you come across a dataset that is labeled as a CSV or XLS file and the “Open With” menu is not present it is either because the file is too large or because the link does not point directly to the CSV or XLS file.

Data.gov will continue to work with data publishers to update these listings and ensure that the “Open With” menu works for more datasets and connects with even more services.

If you have feedback about the “Open With” menu, please contact us or leave a comment here or on GitHub. We look forward to seeing what you create as you open data with new insight.