THE HUB: Character Connectivity in the Whoniverse
The Hub is a fullstack web application designed to visualize the complex character connectivity in the fictional universe of the British sci-fi series Doctor Who (or, the "Whoniverse"), encompassing a period from the 2005 reboot of the show through its current timeline as of June 2017. The Hub draws data from a custom-designed database which models the connections between 22 major characters in 16 total seasons (or "series," in British terminology) of both Doctor Who and its main spin-off, Torchwood. After entering The Hub through a landing page, users are presented with two multi-item carousels--one for characters, and one for series--and can click through to the summary page for any individual character or series, which includes a brief summary of the characters/series, and characters/series connected to them. Users can also view a dynamic D3.js visualization of the character connectivity via a graph with a chronological slider that links characters together as their interactions are established in the Whoniverse timeline. Users of The Hub can also create an account (with an encrypted password), after which they are able to rate characters & series.
Technology Stack
- Python
- Flask
- Jinja
- HTML/CSS
- Bootstrap
- PostgreSQL
- SQLAlchemy
- Javascript
- Svelte
- D3.js
- Custom database
Favorite Challenge:
Getting the D3 graph to render was simultaneously the most challenging, frustrating, and ultimately rewarding part of developing The Hub. It really pushed me to understand JavaScript far beyond my previous understanding, and encouraged me to pursue further development of my JavaScript skills, because there's so much cool stuff you can create with it!
About the Developer:
Mary is a software engineer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She enjoys the constant pursuit of learning & knowledge (hence deciding on a path as an engineer!), has a background in music performance & education, is a huge geek (as evidenced by this project), adores cats & dogs, and has a great fondness for sushi and breakbeats. Following her graduation from the Hackbright Academy engineering program in June 2017, she is actively pursuing a job as a software engineer (and is especially interested in front-end work).
Learn more about Mary: www.linkedin.com/in/mary-mealiffe/