New Options Available To Visualize CDC Data

 

February 20, 2017 • By Jonathan Mermin 

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CDC’s surveillance systems track HIV, AIDS, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB. Getting this information to those who need it most in an accessible, usable, and meaningful format is a primary goal for CDC. The launch of Atlas in 2012 made this a reality with an online resource that gave users tools to create customized tables, maps, and other graphics with the most current CDC surveillance data.

Now, we have launched CDC’s NCHHSTP AtlasPlus. This update has significant enhancements that empower users to explore 2015 HIV, STD, and TB data at the national, state, or county level. They can easily access 2014 data for hepatitis as well. Disease rates can be analyzed by demographic variables, transmission categories, year, and trends over time. In this new version, users can create 2 side-by-side maps or charts, e.g., state-level maps can compare HIV diagnoses among White and African American MSM.

Feedback received from users of Atlas was invaluable in making upgrades, including building tables based on the exact subset of data a person would like to view. New charting capabilities include the following: line graphs by year; pie charts for sex; bar charts by state and country; and bar charts for age, race/ethnicity, transmission category (for HIV), or country of birth (for TB). AtlasPlus is also ready for the mobile user with a new responsive design.

CDC works to give the public health community, policy makers, and the general public regularly updated, reliable data. I encourage you to visit the new AtlasPlus and utilize the data to strengthen your work. Visit the AtlasPlus website for more information on this update and upcoming webinars.

Jonathan Merman is the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This article was originally published on the AIDS.gov blog, February 8, 2017.

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