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For a start, not a replacement for a hacker producing something for you, you might want to investigate what some of the existing jQuery plug-ins (not the cool/kewl UI widgets) can do already. Try http://plugins.jquery.com/projects/plugins?type=54 As part of a similar investigation I have been impressed with the functionality of "Datatables" from that list. I have not used it in anger yet, but it does a lot of what you are looking for. Peter Noerr > -----Original Message----- > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Eric Lease Morgan > Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 6:09 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: [CODE4LIB] json challenge, or hackers wanted > > This is a JSON challenge, or a hackers wanted call. Specifically, I am looking for leads on how to > slurp up a JSON file and create a cool (or "kewl") Web interface to the data. Let me explain. > > I have created a small matrix consisting of about 125 rows by 125 columns. Each row represents a book > in the series called the Great Books of the Western World. Columns include identifiers, word counts, > grade levels, readability scores, and integers I call "Great Idea Coefficients". For more information > about this data, see the blog posting. [1] > > Here's the challenge: > > 1. convert the matrix into a JSON object > 2. save the object as a file > 3. write a Javascript library allowing the > patron to manipulate, aggregate, summarize, > chart, and display variations of the JSON > > For example, slurp up the JSON and simply display a pretty list of all the elements. Allow the user to > sort the list by author, title, length, or any one of the Coefficients. Allow the user to select only > the items authored by Shakespeare and display the same sort of... sorts. Allow the user to select all > the items with a love Coefficient greater than n, sort them by n, and illustrate the result using a > bar chart. Create a scatter plot denoting any relationships between length of book and its "greatness". > Allow the user to drag and drop selected items into a container (a div element) and summarize them > according to grade level or readability. Etc. > > The goal is to allow the patron to analyze the texts -- do "distant reading" -- and to create many > different visualizations. > > Ideally this Javascript library would exploit JQuery for all of its cool user interface > characteristics. > > In the end, the techniques used to quantitatively describe the Great Books could be applied to other > texts (other books, blog postings, open access journal articles, etc.), and this Javascript library > could be used as a part of a "next, next generation library catalog" or "discovery system". > > Fun? > > [1] blog - http://infomotions.com/blog/2010/09/great-books-data-dictionary/ > > -- > Eric Morgan > University of Notre Dame