About
REX (Resource EXplorer) is an HTML5 application that assists users in exploring, visualizing, and manipulating large data sets. REX has the capability to drill into many different types of files and extract meta data, which can be used to create 2-D, 3-D, or 4-D plots. Also, any images exposed by REX can be dynamically adjusted (ie. brightness, contrast, saturation, etc). Many other widgets have been created that can interact with REX and make use of the exposed data.
About
REX (Resource EXplorer) is an HTML5 application that assists users in exploring, visualizing, and manipulating large data sets. REX has the capability to drill into many different types of files and extract meta data, which can be used to create 2-D, 3-D, or 4-D plots. Also, any images exposed by REX can be dynamically adjusted (ie. brightness, contrast, saturation, etc). Many other widgets have been created that can interact with REX and make use of the exposed data.
How to Use
Opening the File Finder
To start exploring data, simply double click on the File Finder icons ( 
) on the left side of the screen. Alternatively, if you know the data source you want to explore, go to the Tools tab and select “File Finder”.
Exploring Data
Next, simply left click on the files and folders ( 
) to see what data is inside (this is actual NASA data)! Note that file icons without a “w” ( 
) cannot be opened.
Exploring a Different Data Source
If you know the data source you are looking for, simply double click at the top of the File Finder where it says “URL” or “http://..”, type in the URL to the data source, and hit enter. If the source is valid, it will load into the File Finder. Also, if you have multiple sources loaded, simply left click the tabs to switch between them.
Creating an XY Plot
To create an XY plot, go to the Tools tab and select “XY Plot”. From here, you can either type in the URLs to the data sources, or you can get them from the File Finder. To plot data from the File Finder, simply find a webified file ( ) and drag it into one of the axes. Once you have specified a valid source for each axis, click “Visualize” and the plot will be constructed. Also, you can specify additional values (limit, range, mask, etc.) by clicking the dropdown button at the bottom right of the XY Plot.
Creating an XYZ Plot
To create an XYZ plot, go to the Tools tab and select “XYZ Plot”. From here, you can either type in the URLs to the data sources, or you can get them from the File Finder. To plot data from the File Finder, simply find a webified file ( ) and drag it into one of the axes. Once you have specified a valid source for each axis, click “Visualize” and the plot will be constructed. Also, you can specify additional values (limit, range, mask, etc.) by clicking the dropdown button at the bottom right of the XYZ Plot.
Manipulating Images
If you come across a file that has “.IMG” at the end, you can right click the file and select “Preview Image”. Alternatively, you can go to the Tools tab and select "Image Viewer". You can double click the "Image URL" at the top of the image viewer and enter at URL to a webified image. Once the image is open, a toolbar will open where you can adjust the image (brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.) dynamically.
FAQ
Q: Why aren't any of the tools opening?
A: This is a known bug. Try refreshing the page and wait a few seconds.
Q: I typed in a valid data repository, but the File Finder won't load it.
A: Make sure you are entering a repository that has been correctly webified. If you have already done this, make sure you have appended either http:// or https:// to your repository.
Q: I clicked on a file in the File Finder and it is stuck loading.
A: This is a known bug. If the file is stuck opening and never produces an error message, refresh the page.
Q: I clicked visualize, but nothing is plotting.
A: We are working on adding error messages in case invalid data is entered. Make sure the data you entered is valid and has the correct dimensions.
Bookmarks
Right click on a file to add it to your bookmarks.
Developer
1. Make sure you have <!doctype html> above your opening <html> tag
2. Append the following to the <head> section of your html page:
<script data-main="http://cds.jpl.nasa.gov/libs/rex/js/main.js" src="http://cds.jpl.nasa.gov/libs/rex/js/require.js"></script>
3. To create an instance of REX, do one of the following:
a) HTML
- Add <div data-widget="rex"></div> wherever you want an instance of REX
- You can specify your own id/class and styles (ie. width, margin, etc.)
b) JavaScript
- Call the function newTreeWidget() after rexMain.js loads, or add a button with id="rexButton" and double click it
Version
The current version of REX is 1.0.7b
Team
Zhangfan Xing, Elias Sayfi, Alexander Smith, Jeremy Arca, Alex Wormuth