Visualizing global health data on data.who.int

Visualization of healthy life expectancy at birth in years. World map with country shapes colored in different shades of blue according to the life expectancy. India is highlighted with 58.1 years in 2021.

For the past three years, 9elements has worked collaboratively with UK agency Kore, helping the World Health Organization (WHO) to visualize global public health data on data.who.int, WHO’s central data hub.

Open health data plays a key role for guiding public health decisions and informing the general public. The data needs to be presented and visualized well so health professionals, scientists, policymakers and citizens can access, understand and use it.

The WHO Data portal, launched in May 2023, is a joint effort of public health professionals, data scientists, visualization experts, UX designers, accessibility specialists and software developers.

Under the project leadership of Kore, 9elements developed a central piece of data.who.int, the tailor-made data visualization framework. This work needs to meet the highest quality standards. The WHO principles require the content to be accessible to everyone, everywhere in the world.

World map with circles for each country visualizing the number of people requiring interventions against Neglected Tropical Diseases. The circle radius represents the number. India is in focus. It has the largest circle with 837 million people. Circles are colored according to country's membership to one of the six WHO regions.
Map visualizing the number of people requiring interventions against Neglected Tropical Diseases

Data Design Language

Our work is based on the WHO Data Design Language, produced by Kore and conceived by a diverse team led by the world-renowned data visualization designer Moritz Stefaner. The core design values are:

  • Clear: Data presentations are tailored to information needs, understandable and approachable.

  • Open: Data presentations are accessible by following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). They are international, available in the six official WHO languages.

  • Robust: Using solid and lean technologies, the data is presented in a variety of channels and sizes. The presentations have alternative access modes, adapt to user preferences and reading situations.

  • Transparent: The data presentations reveal uncertainty, precision, provenance and coverage of the data.

Comparing countries on powerful dashboards

The data visualization framework features several pages:

Indicator pages like Healthy life expectancy at birth (HALE) allow to compare countries and regions and break down the data by sex and age group, for example.

Country pages like the Democratic Republic of the Congo give an overview of the public health in one country by showing key health statistics like demographics, life expectancy and causes of death.

Country overview for the Democratic Republic of Congo. An ensemble of facts and charts visualizing economic and demographic facts about the country. Population stats are visible, with health data sections below.
Country overview for the Democratic Republic of Congo

The COVID-19 dashboard tracks cases, deaths, vaccinations and current variant circulation.

Interactive widget visualizing the number of COVID-19 cases reported to WHO in the last 28 days. World map with circles on the left. A total number with change on the right, as well as a table comparing countries. 134782 cases were reported in the 28 days before 19 May 2024.
COVID-19 overview visualizing the number of cases reported to the WHO

The Triple Billion progress dashboard tracks the world’s progress towards improving the lives of people through access to universal health coverage, protection from health emergencies and through better health and well-being.

Chart visualizing the Triple Billion indicators contributions for Healthier populations, Universal health coverage and Health emergencies protection. A circle for each indicator represents its positive or negative contribution. Clean Household Fuels is selected with a positive impact on 593 million lives in 2025. The span reaches from minus 200 million to 600 million.
Triple Billion indicator contributions

Tailor-made data visualization framework

While there are several mature data visualization kits, there was no solution that met WHO’s strict requirements and integrated well with their data infrastructure.

We developed a tailor-made, light-weight data visualization framework for public health data on a world scale. To deliver data experiences with the highest quality, it implements the clear vision and guidelines of the Data Design Language.

The visualization framework is both extensible and flexible. It produces interactive data experiences in the browser, but also text, static HTML and SVG and pixel-based images. The goal is to serve the most robust data presentation suitable for the medium, the reading context and the client capabilities.

Table comparing the Tuberculosis incidence in cases per 100000 population across countries. For each country, a column chart shows the trend from 2000 to 2022. Lesotho has the highest incidence in 2022.
Comparing Tuberculosis incidence over time

The framework connects the WHO databases to combine data with metadata, translations, and formatting rules to present the data in a meaningful way and to put it into perspective.

Individual facts, tables and charts are combined into interactive widgets to make complex datasets accessible. These widgets compare the data across time, geographical and political entities, like countries and regions, as well as categories, like sex and age group.

Visualization showing the probability of dying between age 30 and 70 from any of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases. A line chart compares Total, Male and Female from 2000 to 2019. World and Male is selected. The number is 21% for 2019. The trend is falling. A table compares countries, showing the three lowest and highest countries, with World highlighted in the middle.
Indicator explorer for premature mortality from non-communicable diseases

We built a chart creator where WHO content editors can explore the data and be guided to help them build a suitable visualization. For data curators, we have built a powerful data explorer for more than 2,000 indicators.

Under the hood, the visualization framework is implemented in portable JavaScript code that runs in the browser, in Node.js, and in cloud functions. The individual charts and widgets are implemented in D3 and Svelte, a well-established duo that produces lean HTML, CSS, SVG and fast JavaScript.

Building your next data visualizations

At 9elements, we have been visualizing data for our clients for more than 10 years. In 2013, we developed GED VIZ for the Bertelsmann Foundation, visualizing global economic relations. From 2014 on, we developed the front-end and the chart rendering of the OECD Data Portal. In 2015, we contributed to the World Economic Forum Inclusive Growth Report.

Let us discuss how we can help you to explore, present and visualize the data of your organization or business! Contact us.

Credits

This project was developed for Kore, an agency for positive public impact through strategy, design and information architecture, based in the UK. With thanks to their wider team, below, on this work for WHO.

Data visualization, product design, UX/UI, cartography and accessibility: Alice Thudt, Christian Laesser, Fred Wheeler, Maarten Lambrechts, Matt Hollidge, Moritz Stefaner, Philippe Rivière, Sarah Fossheim and Yaseed Chaumoo.

Thanks to all WHO staff involved with the project.

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