Leveraging Open Data to Connect Stakeholders to Disparate Data: State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System Update

Background:  

Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of disability and death in the United States. As part of its mission to reduce the incidence of tobacco-related mortality and morbidity, CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) created the National Tobacco Control Program, which funds tobacco control activities in all 50 states and DC. The data necessary to evaluate state tobacco control programs are available from many sources, are often difficult to obtain and is not standardized for comparability.  To disseminate reliable, timely state-level data, OSH created the STATE System, an interactive, online application that integrates tobacco control data from multiple, disparate sources into comprehensive summary reports that facilitate evaluation and aid in consistent data interpretation across states.

Methods:

Focusing on the changing data needs of target users, OSH researched new ways to disseminate data faster and provide a high-quality user experience at a lower cost. In the past year, OSH implemented new tools to enhance the STATE System and increase usability and access.

Results:

In 2015, OSH migrated the STATE System data to an open data platform.  Leveraging open data allows OSH to save resources by reducing custom development; lessen time to market for enhancements and data; increase reach and accessibility of data; satisfy growing users’ data demands; and foster data innovation.

Conclusions: 

The tools implemented by OSH increased access to the STATE System data, reached a wider public health audience through greater flexibility and customization, provided richer user experiences and data visualizations and enhanced interactivity for different types of users.