Enhancing the communication of radiation exposure data for radiological workers in Korea using data visualization...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Data Science and Analytics
• Radiological Protection

Background:

• Effective communication of radiation exposure data is crucial for radiological worker safety.
• Traditional tabular formats hinder the interpretation of complex exposure patterns and trends.
• Non-experts often struggle to act on information presented in conventional data reports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of various data visualization techniques in enhancing the comprehension of radiation exposure data.
• To demonstrate how visualizations can highlight disparities in exposure across different professional, demographic, and geographic groups.
• To explore the potential of visualization in simplifying complex datasets for informed decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Application of data visualization techniques including radar charts, box plots, sparklines, and Chernoff faces.
• Utilized datasets from the "2022 Annual Report on Individual Exposure Doses of Radiological Workers" by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
• Analysis focused on identifying patterns and disparities in radiation exposure data.

Main Results:

• Visualization methods effectively simplified complex radiation exposure data.
• Disparities in exposure were clearly highlighted across professions, demographic groups, and geographic regions.
• Enhanced accessibility and comprehension of data for stakeholders were observed.

Conclusions:

• Data visualization significantly improves the communication and understanding of radiation exposure data for radiological workers.
• Visualization techniques offer a powerful tool for identifying trends and informing safety management practices.
• Future research should incorporate primary data and advanced analytics for deeper insights into radiation exposure causality.