Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #120703

Chris Ogden, PMP, Instructional and Information Systems, UNC-CH School of Public Health, Campus Box 7400, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, 919-843-4394, chris_ogden@unc.edu

The future of information belongs to those who can package it for convenience and access. Public health practitioners and the public face significant challenges in accessing and understanding the mountain of data currently available through online resources. Simplifying the packaging of data to help users understand and use it is the focus of the proposed presentation of rich internet applications (RIA). These applications combine the user experience of traditional desktop applications with the ease of deployment, ubiquity, and reach of the web. They take advantage of already installed software in almost all computers to provide a more engaging user experience while reducing the learning curve for new functionality. One application of an RIA is to provide a powerful set of tools to present and explore data in a browser. RIAs bring the functionality of a locally-installed application into a browser, allowing that power to be easily available to large numbers of distributed users. Such approaches reduce training and support needs, increase the length of stays on sites, engender frequent repeat visits, and result in fewer errors. Even a dial-up connection is sufficient for robust data exploration. The presentation will feature an online demonstration of one of these applications, the Data Exploration Tool, used by healthcare providers to interactively compare quality indicators and collect real-time feedback across multiple clinical sites. RIAs offer the potential for a fundamental shift in the experience of Internet applications.

Learning Objectives:

• Session attendees will understand the emergence thin-client rich Internet applications as a new set of capabilities for their browsers.
• Session attendees will understand the potential of RIAs in the online exploration of health data.
• Session attendees will be able to discuss uses of new RIAs to promote the exploration of data to benefit public health.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation