Inputs: Overview and terminology
The app requires two json input files and accepts one additional optional json, all listed below. Each of these three json is made of a single array of objects. The objects themselves can only contain key-value pairs. The three json files must be located in the src/data folder.
Required
circles.json
An array of objects containing a set of key-value pairs that represent the relevant data about the units that should be displayed in the visualization.
The data is assumed to be in tidy format, i.e., each object in the array must represent a single unit in a single time period.
Henceforth:
- An object in the
circles.jsonarray will often be referred to as a “row”, or an “observation”. - The term “unit” will be used to denote the group of rows belonging to the same observational agent (e.g., a firm, a political party,…) across time periods.
- Beyond the required time-stamps, x-y coordinates, and unit identifiers, additional data about observations will be referred to as “features”.
metadata.json
An array of objects containing a set of key-value pairs that provides additional information about:
- The types of some of the features included in
circle.json, - How these features should be taken into account in the visualization,
- How these features should be taken into account in the app’s UI.
Optional
arrows.json
An array of objects containing a set of key-value pairs that represent the relevant data about the arrows that should be displayed in the visualization.
The data is assumed to be in tidy format, i.e., each object in the array must represent a single arrow in a single time period.