Prototyping Python Dashboards for Scientists and Engineers (eng)

Create interactive and data-driven dashboards using Python. This hands-on guide is a practical resource for those (with modest programming skills) in scientific and engineering fields looking to leverage Python's power for data visualization and analysis in a user-friendly dashboard format.

You’ll begin by gaining a fundamental understanding of Python programming, including data types, lists, dictionaries, and data structures. The book then delves into the world of reactive programming with Plotly and Dash, offering a hands-on approach to building interactive web-based dashboards. Next, you’ll see how to work with online data, how to scrape and clean datasets, and keep files up-to-date.

The book also guides you through planning a dashboard prototype, outlining project tasks, trends, forecasts, spectra, and other design considerations. It concludes with a discussion of how the dashboard can be used for data visualization of real data, explaining the usefulness of tools such as spectra.

What You’ll Learn

• Design a dashboard with Python
• Convert and filter Excel formatted files to produce CSV files
• Create browser-served graphics with PLOTLY
• Generate polynomial trend lines for forecasting
• Build a Unix service to share your dashboard

Who This Book Is For

Padraig Houlahan has a diverse career, spanning research, teaching, and I.T. management. He has worn multiple hats over the years, functioning as a scientist, software developer, college professor, flight instructor, and I.T. director. Throughout his journey, he has maintained an enduring fascination with the art of uncovering patterns within data. His Ph.D. research introduced an innovative pattern recognition approach for dissecting the structure of astronomical nebulae. In parallel, his M.A. endeavor involved the endeavor of identifying gravitational waves within Lunar Laser Ranging data.In recent times, his focus has pivoted toward aviation-centric software projects. These ventures involve real-time tracking and visualization of aircraft to aid in traffic flow analysis. Furthermore, he has played a pivotal role in rendering extensive datasets accessible to both students and faculty, benefiting airline and airport operators alike. Teaching has always held a special place in his heart, driven by the joy of witnessing students derive satisfaction from acquiring new knowledge and insights.