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Visualization of infectious disease outbreaks in routine practice.
David Karlsson1, Joakim Ekberg, Armin Spreco
1Department of Information and Computer Science, Linköping University, Sweden.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|August 8, 2013
Summary
Visualizations help epidemiologists understand infectious disease data. However, highly abstract visualizations decreased understanding and confidence, showing a need for context-specific design in public health surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Data Visualization
Background:
- Visualizations are crucial for interpreting epidemiological data in public health.
- Understanding the impact of visualization abstraction on infectious disease control is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how different levels of abstraction in visualizations affect infectious disease control.
- To assess the utility of interactive visualization prototypes in infectious disease surveillance.
Main Methods:
- Developed three interactive visualization prototypes with increasing abstraction levels.
- Conducted workshops with infectious disease epidemiologists for exploratory evaluation.
Main Results:
- Higher levels of abstraction in visualizations reduced epidemiologists' understanding and confidence.
- Highly abstract visualizations were considered impractical for routine use without specific training.
Conclusions:
- The effectiveness of visualizations in infectious disease control is influenced by their level of abstraction.
- Future visualization development must consider the work routines and decision-making processes of infectious disease epidemiologists.
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