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VESA

Visualization Enabled Search Application Demo version is available here

Hero image

Repository for the Visualisation Enabled Search Application (VESA). It is a visual exploration and search tool that assists users in navigating through a graph in an intuitive way. Different visualizations help in finding information across different dimensions. For example:

  • Map → Spatial Context
  • Line Charts → Temporal Context
  • Network Diagrams or Graphs → Interrelations
  • Word Cloud → Thematic Context

These dimensions provide various contexts, such as dataset locations (Map), measurement data (Temporal Charts), and word clouds to show different thematic contexts of datasets.

🛠 Setting Up the Local Development Environment

This section provides a detailed guide on how to set up the VESA project for local development, including setting up ArangoDB, restoring the database dump, and configuring and running the backend and frontend components.

1. Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following software installed on your machine:

2. Setting Up ArangoDB

VESA uses ArangoDB as its database. Follow these steps to set up ArangoDB:

  1. Download and Install ArangoDB:

    • Visit the ArangoDB Download Page and download the appropriate version for your operating system.
    • Follow the installation instructions provided on the website for your OS.

  2. Start the ArangoDB Server:

    • After installation, start the ArangoDB server. You can usually start it from the command line or through the service management tools provided by your OS.
    • By default, ArangoDB will run on http://127.0.0.1:8529/.

  3. Access the ArangoDB Web Interface:

    • Open a web browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8529/ to access the ArangoDB web interface.
    • Log in using the default credentials (username: root, password: root). You can change these credentials if necessary.

  4. Restoring the Database Dump:

    • In the VESA repository, there is a directory named DB containing the file arango-dump.zip.

    • Unzip the arango-dump.zip file:

      unzip DB/arango-dump.zip -d DB/arango-dump/

    • Use the ArangoDB arangorestore command to restore the database:

      arangorestore --server.endpoint http+tcp://127.0.0.1:8529 --server.database <database-name> --server.username root --server.password root --input-directory DB/arango-dump/

      Replace <database-name> with the name you want for your database.

3. Setting Up the Backend

The backend is built using Node.js and connects to the ArangoDB database.

  1. Navigate to the Backend Directory:

    cd BACKEND

  2. Install Dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Create the .env File:

    • The backend requires environment variables to be configured. You can use the .env.template file as a starting point.

    • Copy the .env.template file to create a .env file:

      cp .env.template .env

    • Open the .env file in a text editor and set the values for ARANGO_URL, ARANGO_USER, and ARANGO_PASS:

      ARANGO_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8529/
ARANGO_USER=root
ARANGO_PASS=root

  4. Run the Backend:

    npm run dev

    This command will start the backend server in development mode. The server will automatically reload if you make any changes to the source files.

4. Setting Up the Frontend

The frontend is built using React.js and communicates with the backend to fetch data and display it through various visualizations.

  1. Navigate to the Frontend Directory:

    cd ../FRONTEND

  2. Install Dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Create the .env File:

    • The frontend also requires some environment variables, particularly the API URL.

    • Copy the .env.template file to create a .env file:

      cp .env.template .env

    • Open the .env file in a text editor and set the value for REACT_APP_API_URL:

      REACT_APP_API_URL=http://127.0.0.1:3001

    • Ensure this URL points to where your backend is running.

  4. Run the Frontend:

    npm start

    This command will start the frontend development server. It will be accessible in your web browser at http://localhost:3000/ by default.

5. Final Steps

Now that both the backend and frontend are running, you can interact with the VESA application by navigating to http://localhost:3000/ in your web browser.

  • Backend runs on port 3001 (or the port specified in your .env file).
  • Frontend runs on port 3000.

Ensure that both components are communicating correctly by verifying that the frontend is successfully retrieving and displaying data from the backend.

6. Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues during setup:

  • ArangoDB: Check the official documentation for troubleshooting common problems.
  • Node.js/NPM: Ensure you are using the correct versions by running node -v and npm -v.
  • Logs: Check the terminal/console logs for any error messages and refer to the error documentation.