Why build Data Visualizations with D3.js
What is D3.js
From the D3.js website => d3js.org
D3.js helps you attach your data to DOM (Document Object Model) elements. Then you can use CSS3, HTML, and/or SVG showcase this data. Finally, you can make the data interactive through the use of D3.js data-driven transformations and transitions.
Who develops D3.js
Mike Bostock wrote D3.js based on his work during his PhD studies at the Stanford Visualization Group. Mike worked at the The New York Times for a while and is now independently working on D3.js. You can find Mike's github profile here => Mike Bostock Github Profile. While he wrote the library, there have been and continue to be many active contributors adding a diverse set of components and plugins.
Why use D3.js
You should use D3.js because it lets you build the data visualization framework that you want. Graphic / Data Visualization frameworks make a great deal of decisions to make the framework easy to use. D3.js focuses on binding data to DOM elements.
When you should use D3.js
You should use D3.js when your webpage is interacting with data. D3 stands for Data Driven Documents. We will explore D3.js for it's graphing capabilities. We will not explore the myriad ways you can use data to in your webpages in non-graphical ways.
Where is D3.js used