The Internet is a powerful resource for rapid dissemination of information worldwide. A Web site, created in conjunction with the “Atlas of Cancer Mortality in the United States, 1950-94," published in December 1999, provides the user with several options. The Web site includes creative and novel elements not previously available on the World Wide Web. This resource, replicable for any geographically-based data, enhances the ability of public health practitioners, epidemiologists, and others to explore spatial and temporal patterns of mortality. The ATLAS ONLINE allows the user to view and download any portion of the Atlas (text, maps, figures, tables). Data used to generate the maps are also downloadable. The CUSTOMIZABLE MAPS module permits the user to select from a list of approximately 40 cancers, various calendar time periods, age groups, and map color choices, enabling the interactive creation of maps. A map legend relating colors to rate ranges, and a table detailing statistics associated with the map, are also displayed. The user can view a series of geographic pattern or time trend maps on one screen. These maps can then be animated as a slide show, a particularly effective tool for displaying mortality patterns over time. DYNAMIC CHARTS permits the user to view ranked mortality rates (with confidence interval bars) at various levels of geography. The user can view the mortality rates for the counties of a particular state simply by clicking on that state’s confidence interval bar. All charts are dynamically generated in real time over the Internet. See www.nci.nih.gov/atlas/
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Internet, Computer-Assisted
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.