rawgraphs-app

RAWGraphs is a free, open-source web application for turning spreadsheet data into custom visual charts and diagrams. It was built by a research lab at Politecnico di Milano alongside two design studios, and it has been available publicly since 2013. The live version runs at app.rawgraphs.io with no account required.

The tool takes tabular data as its input, meaning rows and columns of information in the style of a spreadsheet or a CSV file. You can paste data directly from Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, or similar programs. RAWGraphs then lets you map columns of that data onto visual properties, choosing from a range of chart types built on top of a popular JavaScript visualization library called d3.js. The output is an SVG file, which is a vector format that stays crisp at any size and can be opened in tools like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape for further design work.

One notable design choice: everything happens inside your web browser. Your data never leaves your computer or gets sent to any server. This makes the tool suitable for working with sensitive information, such as internal business figures or personal data, without any risk of third-party access.

For most users, visiting the website is all that is needed. For those who want to run their own copy, the README includes setup instructions using Node.js and a package manager called Yarn. The process is aimed at intermediate users comfortable with running commands in a terminal window. Custom chart layouts can also be added, though that requires writing code.

The project is published under the Apache 2.0 license, which allows free use, modification, and redistribution. Academic users can cite a 2017 conference paper if they reference the tool in their research.