In December 2008 the European Parliament and the Council adopted a framework regulation for statistics concerning public health and health and safety at work. The magnitude of data collected this far is enormous, however none of the available databases—WHO, Health-EU or Eurostat, provides a usable interface that allows users to generate customized and easy to interpret health statistics. Additionally, it is virtually impossible to demonstrate the relationship between health topics and social or environmental factors to help contextualize data and substantiate correlation or prove causation.
This case study, drawn from direct professional experience, illustrates how correlation is discernible and actionable. And how employing taxonomies and metadata to improve navigation, browsing, search and discovery results in understanding and augmented awareness.
The California Health Interview Survey and its online statistical analysis query tool, AskCHIS, have managed to bridge the gap between the collection of large amounts of health and socioeconomic indicators and its meaningful visualization. The query tool, with its simple and intuitive interface, has effectively become a benchmark for health data statistical analysis tools that are usable across a variety of backgrounds and skills.
A rigorous taxonomy of variables, questionnaires and data dictionaries entries, in addition to meaningful metadata give the users the option to browse the full hierarchy of terms and categories or use keyword and phrases search. Supporting documentation—in the form of methodology papers, survey topics, questionnaires and data dictionaries, helps to contextualize research.
Talk presented at EuroIA in Edinburgh, Scotland on 9/28/2013.
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The Secret Language of Data
1. TAXONOMIES AND MEANINGFUL METADATA TO CRACK THE CIPHER AND TELL THE STORY
alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
EuroIA | Edinburgh, 26-28 September 2013
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA
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2. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
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3. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
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courtesy
of
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4. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
Health data provide information about the occurrence of
certain diseases and health conditions.
—http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/public_health_tracking/about/glossary.htm
HEALTH DATA
5. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
A massive volume of both structured and unstructured data
that is so large that it's difficult to process using
traditional database and software techniques.
—http://www.webopedia.com
BIG DATA
34. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
TERMINOLOGY
OPTIONS CHOICE
Benefit Package, Work Insurance,
Employee Insurance, Employee
Health Plan
Employment-based coverage
Poor, Indigent, Impoverished,
Below Federal Poverty Line
Low-income
Handicapped, Disabled, Blinds,
Deaf Persons,
Persons with disabilities
35. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
SYNONYMS/POLYHIERARCHY
MANAGED CARE DISABILITY
= =
Medicare, Health Insurance,
Comprehensive Medical Insurance,
Group Medical Insurance, Health
Plan, Medicaid, Medi-cal, Indian
Health Services, Healthy Families
Handicap, Deficit, Impairment,
Mental Impairment, Physical
Impairment, Health Problem,
Functional Impairment, Incapacity,
Ailment
41. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
STRUCTURED CONTENT
42. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
STRUCTURED CONTENT
Variable Label
CHIS Data Source(s)
Age Groups
Levels
Description
Restrictions
Year
53. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
PRIORITIZE CONTENT
54. NEWSLETTER
SIGNUP
GLOBAL NAVIGATION AND SERVICE LINKS SEARCH
LOGO AND SLOGAN
MAIN NAVIGATION
CAROUSEL PHOTO
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
PUB SEARCH
SLIDE TITLE (10 WORDS MAX)
SLIDE TEASER (50 WORDS MAX)
ASK THE EXPERT
(100 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(10 LINKS x 4 WORDS MAX)
HEALTH CARE REFORM
(100 WORDS MAX)
SPOTLIGHT
(100 WORDS MAX)
PROGRAM 1
(50 WORDS MAX)
PROGRAM 2
(50 WORDS MAX)
PROGRAM 2
(50 WORDS MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10 WORDS MAX)
SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
PRIORITIZE CONTENT
55. NEWSLETTER
SIGNUP
GLOBAL NAVIGATION AND SERVICE LINKS SEARCH
LOGO AND SLOGAN
MAIN NAVIGATION
CAROUSEL PHOTO
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
PUB SEARCH
SLIDE TITLE (10 WORDS MAX)
SLIDE TEASER (50 WORDS MAX)
ASK THE EXPERT
(100 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(10 LINKS x 4 WORDS MAX)
HEALTH CARE REFORM
(100 WORDS MAX)
SPOTLIGHT
(100 WORDS MAX)
PROGRAM 1
(50 WORDS MAX)
PROGRAM 2
(50 WORDS MAX)
PROGRAM 2
(50 WORDS MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10 WORDS MAX)
SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
PRIORITIZE CONTENT
56. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
NEWSLETTER
SIGNUP
GLOBAL NAVIGATION AND SERVICE LINKS SEARCH
CAROUSEL PHOTO
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
PUB SEARCH
SLIDE TITLE (10 WORDS MAX)
SLIDE TEASER (50 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(10 LINKS x 4 WORDS MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10 WORDS MAX)
CONTENT PRIORITY = FLEXIBILITY
NAV SEARCH (SITE AND PUBS)
SLIDE TEASER SHORT
(10 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(5 LINKS x 4 WORDS
MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10
WORDS MAX)
CAROUSEL
PHOTO
THUMB
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
57. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
NEWSLETTER
SIGNUP
GLOBAL NAVIGATION AND SERVICE LINKS SEARCH
CAROUSEL PHOTO
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
PUB SEARCH
SLIDE TITLE (10 WORDS MAX)
SLIDE TEASER (50 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(10 LINKS x 4 WORDS MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10 WORDS MAX)
CONTENT PRIORITY = FLEXIBILITY
NAV SEARCH (SITE AND PUBS)
SLIDE TEASER SHORT
(10 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(5 LINKS x 4 WORDS
MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10
WORDS MAX)
CAROUSEL
PHOTO
THUMB
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
58. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
NEWSLETTER
SIGNUP
GLOBAL NAVIGATION AND SERVICE LINKS SEARCH
CAROUSEL PHOTO
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
PUB SEARCH
SLIDE TITLE (10 WORDS MAX)
SLIDE TEASER (50 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(10 LINKS x 4 WORDS MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10 WORDS MAX)
CONTENT PRIORITY = FLEXIBILITY
NAV SEARCH (SITE AND PUBS)
SLIDE TEASER SHORT
(10 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(5 LINKS x 4 WORDS
MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10
WORDS MAX)
CAROUSEL
PHOTO
THUMB
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
59. SECRET LANGUAGE OF DATA alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
NEWSLETTER
SIGNUP
GLOBAL NAVIGATION AND SERVICE LINKS SEARCH
CAROUSEL PHOTO
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)
PUB SEARCH
SLIDE TITLE (10 WORDS MAX)
SLIDE TEASER (50 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(10 LINKS x 4 WORDS MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10 WORDS MAX)
CONTENT PRIORITY = FLEXIBILITY
NAV SEARCH (SITE AND PUBS)
SLIDE TEASER SHORT
(10 WORDS MAX)
FEATURED PRODUCT 1
(3 WORDS MAX)
TOPIC CENTER
(5 LINKS x 4 WORDS
MAX)
NEWS
(5 LINKS x 10
WORDS MAX)
CAROUSEL
PHOTO
THUMB
FEATURED PRODUCT 2
(3 WORDS MAX)