CalCORVID: a dynamic RShiny dashboard approach to visualize spatiotemporal clusters for public health surveillance

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Data Visualization

Background:

• Infectious disease surveillance is crucial for public health, utilizing anomaly detection for early outbreak warnings.
• Spatiotemporal scan statistics, like those in SaTScan, identify disease clusters but lack user-friendly real-time visualization capabilities.
• Current SaTScan versions do not adequately support the dynamic dissemination of cluster results needed for timely epidemiological response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an open-source dashboard for visualizing SaTScan outputs tailored to public health surveillance needs.
• To create a customizable framework that facilitates the interpretation and dissemination of infectious disease cluster data.
• To enhance real-time disease surveillance by improving the usability of spatiotemporal analysis results for epidemiologists.

Main Methods:

• Developed an open-source dashboard using RShiny, specifically designed to process and display SaTScan outputs.
• Integrated interactive map and results table functionalities for clear data presentation.
• Incorporated the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to provide contextual information for identified disease clusters.

Main Results:

• Created the California Clustering for Operational Real-time Visualization of Infectious Diseases (CalCORVID) dashboard.
• The dashboard offers customizable visualization of SaTScan results, including historical data and SVI integration.
• CalCORVID provides an adaptable framework for any jurisdiction, enhancing the utility of SaTScan for public health.

Conclusions:

• CalCORVID serves as a valuable complementary tool to SaTScan, improving the visualization and dissemination of cluster analysis results.
• The dashboard empowers epidemiologists to better utilize SaTScan data for real-time disease surveillance and public health decision-making.
• The open-source nature and adaptable template of CalCORVID facilitate its adoption and customization for diverse public health surveillance applications.