TY - JOUR AU - Chan, Ta-Chien AU - Teng, Yung-Chu AU - Kuo, Chiao-ling AU - Yeh, Yao-Hsien AU - Lin, Bo-Cheng PY - 2017/05/02 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Leveraging the Niche of Open Data for Disease Surveillance and Health Education JF - Online Journal of Public Health Informatics JA - OJPHI VL - 9 IS - 1 SE - Data sources, standards, exchange, visualization, and quality DO - 10.5210/ojphi.v9i1.7621 UR - https://ojphi.org/ojs/index.php/ojphi/article/view/7621 SP - AB - <div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 317.842px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.08186);" data-canvas-width="63.1985303030303">Objective</div><div style="left: 104.045px; top: 332.657px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.0613);" data-canvas-width="378.95534545454547">To visualize the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 349.172px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03055);" data-canvas-width="390.69943484848494">spatially and interactively, we aimed to provide a friendly interface</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 365.688px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03705);" data-canvas-width="391.0531893939396">to access local epidemic information based on open data for health</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 382.203px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00199);" data-canvas-width="160.635446969697">professionals and the public.</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 413.63px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.11811);" data-canvas-width="81.88294696969696">Introduction</div><div style="left: 104.045px; top: 428.445px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.0243);" data-canvas-width="378.2239719696968">Transparency of information on infectious disease epidemics</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 444.96px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.948131);" data-canvas-width="391.3409659090907">is crucial for not only public health workers but also the residents</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 461.475px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.04461);" data-canvas-width="393.6431780303028">in the communities. Traditionally, disease control departments</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 477.991px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.04403);" data-canvas-width="391.19637575757554">created official websites for displaying disease maps or epi-curves</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 494.506px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.989732);" data-canvas-width="391.8842318181818">with the confirmed case counts. The websites were usually very</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 511.021px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03164);" data-canvas-width="390.9731734848484">formal and static, without interaction, animation, or even the aid of</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 527.536px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.02605);" data-canvas-width="390.8215643939393">spatial statistics. Therefore, we tried to take advantage of open data</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 544.051px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03655);" data-canvas-width="390.81314166666675">and use a lightweight programming language, JavaScript, to create</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 560.566px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.02063);" data-canvas-width="392.63666212121205">an interactive website, named “Taiwan Infectious Disease Map</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 577.082px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.972006);" data-canvas-width="391.3297356060605">(http://ide.geohealth.tw/)“. With the website, we expect to provide</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 593.597px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.0063);" data-canvas-width="390.19407121212123">real-time incidence information and related epidemiological features</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 610.112px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00218);" data-canvas-width="190.64843181818185">using interactive maps and charts.</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 641.539px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.07334);" data-canvas-width="57.70971969696969">Methods</div><div style="left: 104.045px; top: 656.354px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.985032);" data-canvas-width="374.65694696969695">This study used infectious-disease-related open data from Taiwan’s</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 672.869px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.987734);" data-canvas-width="391.7845628787878">open data platform (http://data.gov.tw) maintained by the Taiwan</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 689.385px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.980878);" data-canvas-width="389.4247954545454">CDC. It covers 70 types of infectious diseases starting from 2004, and</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 705.9px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03034);" data-canvas-width="390.7724318181817">the latest status is updated every day. We then automatically bridge</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 722.415px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03189);" data-canvas-width="390.96755833333316">this data into our database and calculate the age-adjusted incidence</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 738.93px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.998814);" data-canvas-width="392.4008257575761">rate by annual census data and 2000 WH0 standard population.</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 755.445px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.964251);" data-canvas-width="391.43782727272713">The spatial resolution is mostly at the township level, except that</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 771.96px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03683);" data-canvas-width="390.81454545454545">resolution for sexually-transmitted infectious diseases is at the city</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 788.476px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.0206);" data-canvas-width="390.5997659090908">level. The temporal resolution is month and year, except for dengue</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 804.991px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00552);" data-canvas-width="137.22026515151518">fever, which is by week.</div><div style="left: 104.045px; top: 821.506px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.978975);" data-canvas-width="376.88896969696964">We used R software to automatically compute incidence every</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 838.021px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00562);" data-canvas-width="390.0312318181817">day, and also used its package named “spdep” to compute the spatial</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 854.536px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.96877);" data-canvas-width="391.41536666666656">clusters of the selected infectious diseases online. In addition, we</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 871.051px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.986775);" data-canvas-width="391.8814242424245">used JavaScript language, PHP, OpenLayers 3 and Highcharts to</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 887.566px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.962083);" data-canvas-width="391.27919924242417">implement interactive maps and charts. All the data and graphical</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 904.082px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.957142);" data-canvas-width="391.2637575757578">figures from the charts viewed in this website can be downloaded</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 920.597px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.952444);" data-canvas-width="390.9942303030302">freely. The temporal animation slider can be played and paused at</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 937.112px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.04494);" data-canvas-width="390.7738356060605">any time point. The health education button can directly link to an</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 953.627px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.996631);" data-canvas-width="392.4401318181817">introduction to the selected infectious disease maintained by the</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 970.142px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01427);" data-canvas-width="77.98041666666666">Taiwan CDC.</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1001.57px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.08498);" data-canvas-width="50.70481818181818">Results</div><div style="left: 104.045px; top: 1016.38px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.957578);" data-canvas-width="376.31201287878764">The website of the Taiwan Infectious Disease Map is displayed</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1032.9px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.961671);" data-canvas-width="391.5922439393938">in Figure 1. The users can select the temporal precision, types of</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1049.41px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00032);" data-canvas-width="389.92314015151516">infectious diseases, spatial precision and the gender at the beginning.</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1065.93px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01784);" data-canvas-width="390.4593871212121">In this case, the left map is the spatial distribution of the cumulative</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1082.45px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.96752);" data-canvas-width="389.28160909090917">incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in 2016. The darker red color represents</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1098.96px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01681);" data-canvas-width="390.47202121212115">higher incidence. The right top panel is the ranking of TB incidence</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1115.48px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.03442);" data-canvas-width="390.9408863636363">among 368 townships. The right middle panel is the ranking of TB</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1131.99px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01661);" data-canvas-width="390.46219469696956">incidence among 22 cities or counties. The right bottom panel is the</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1148.51px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.02555);" data-canvas-width="390.74997121212124">annual TB incidence from 2004 to the current date. The highest TB</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1165.02px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.985899);" data-canvas-width="389.47954318181803">incidence was 67.47 per 100,000 in 2004, and this declined sharply to</div><div style="left: 89.1818px; top: 1181.54px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00118);" data-canvas-width="151.67928030303028">15.92 per 100,000 in 2015.</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 317.842px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(1.10288);" data-canvas-width="84.24131060606061">Conclusions</div><div style="left: 520.227px; top: 332.657px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01711);" data-canvas-width="378.01059621212124">With this user-friendly web application, the public and local</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 349.172px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00991);" data-canvas-width="390.27829848484834">public health workers can easily understand the current risk for their</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 365.688px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00465);" data-canvas-width="390.0733454545454">townships. The application can provide relevant health education for</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 382.203px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.997665);" data-canvas-width="389.85435454545456">the public to understand diseases and how to protect themselves. The</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 398.718px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.0345);" data-canvas-width="390.79910378787883">spatial clusters, gender distribution, age distribution, epi-curve and</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 415.233px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.995877);" data-canvas-width="389.7364363636363">top ten infectious diseases are all practical and important information</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 431.748px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.992516);" data-canvas-width="389.64519015151507">provided from this website to assist in preventing and mitigating next</div><div style="left: 505.364px; top: 448.263px; font-size: 14.0379px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00253);" data-canvas-width="54.97233333333333">epidemic.</div> ER -