Exploration of open health data at the federal, state, and local levels—including syndicated web content, downloadable datasets, and API-accessible information.

1. CDC and FDA CTP
Open Federal Content and Data
July 20, 2014

2. The Big Picture

3. Digital Government Strategy
Big Picture
On May 23, 2012, the President issued a directive entitled “Building a 21st
Century Digital Government,” launching a comprehensive federal-level
Digital Government Strategy. Among other goals, this initiative seeks to:
● Provide an increasingly mobile workforce with access to high-quality
digital government information and services—anywhere, anytime, and
on any device.
● Unlock the power of government data to spur innovation across the
Nation and improve the quality of services for the American people.

4. Why We Are Here
Big Picture
As part of the Digital Government Strategy, our team seeks to:
● Raise awareness of local, state, and federal health related federal
digital assets.
● Determine interests, needs, and focus within developer communities.
● Cross-pollinate with open data developer communities focused on
healthcare.
● Help to facilitate partnerships and initiatives between such
communities and federal health agencies.

5. Weather, Localization, and More
Big Picture
● Some of the most ubiquitous (and profitable) digital
services used today are built upon open government
data.
● NOAA datasets are used by Weather.com/Weather
Channel, and Weather Underground.
● Weather-related data collected by National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Association provide annual
estimated private sector economic value of $10
billion.
● Annual economic value of data from the U.S. Global
Positioning System is estimated at approximately
$90 billion.

6. Digital Health Data/Content
Big Picture
● Digital federal health offerings span a
compelling range from syndicated content
(including web, video, images, and
infographics), to traditional programmatically
accessible numerical data.
● Syndicated content (via pre-packaged API
calls) provides the ability to seamlessly layer
local, state, and federal information within a
single page, increase content offerings, and
decrease staff/resource demands.
● Such content is easily added to mobile apps
and social media pages.

7. When Only Data Will Do...
Big Picture
● For some needs,
nothing replaces raw
data--that can be
massaged, mashed-up,
and interpreted as
needed.
● A wealth of currently
available federal health
datasets--accessible
via RESTful interfaces,
and via web-based
technologies like
Socrata.

8. Configurable, Downloadable
Big Picture
Federal data sites offer
data that is:
● Configurable and
viewable online.
● Downloadable (CSV,
JSON, XML, PDF, etc.).
● Programmatically
accessible via Socrata
and CKAN APIs.
● Programmatically
accessible via federal
API.

9. Content Syndication

10. What is Content Syndication?
Once content is selected from an online
syndication site:
● Returned snippet of JavaScript code
embedded within the client site’s web
HTML.
● Task can be delegated to even relatively
non-technical staff.
● JavaScript snippet is effectively a pre-packaged
Content Syndication
API call to a federal server,
returning selected web content.

11. How To Access...
Content Syndication

12. Why Content Syndication?
● Growing digital and social media content offerings (web, images,
Content Syndication
infographics, podcasts, video, data, and more), anticipating both current and
future initiative needs.
● Credible, timely, and science-based information from a trusted health
information partner.
● Fast and easy discovery and incorporation—freeing-up staff resources.
● Maintains native-site look-and-feel, allowing for easy blending with local
content.
● Keeps customers on local site, rather than linking to external web pages.
● Automatically updated and kept current.

13. Proven Results...
As part of a major upgrade/redesign of their departmental web site, Union County
Health Department of Ohio has made extensive use of syndicated federal content.
http://www.uchd.net
UCHD’s metrics on their site, logged before and after incorporating federal health
content, demonstrated significant results:
● 26% increase in page views
● 18% increase in site visits
● 12% increase in average visit duration
● 19% decrease in bounce rate (those leaving after only viewing the front page)
Content Syndication

14. Syndication Sites
Available federal and state syndication sites:
Content Syndication

15. Local Syndication
Note on the previous slide, the inclusion of a state-level syndication site…
Content Syndication

16. Common Look
Note the common look and feel between a federal-level syndication site, and the
previous ODH state-level site...
Content Syndication

17. Your Own Syndication Site
Content Syndication
Ohio Department of Health uses the same software
technology as numerous federal syndication sites:
● Enabling ODH to provide their own state content
to city and county health departments,
providing for seamless layering of local, state,
and federal content and information.
● Federal syndication software facility available in
either Java or .NET instances on the “HHS
Digital Media API Platform” SourceForge
repository.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/contentservices/

18. Data Repositories

19. Data Driven Offerings
There is also a wealth of more traditionally
data-driven federal health repositories.
HealthData.gov offers:
● Wide array of downloadable datasets.
● Searchable by category.
● Available in a variety of data formats.
● At granularity levels such as county and zip
code.
● CKAN-driven catalog API: www.healthdata.
gov/catalog-api
Data Repositories

20. Diverse Datasets
Data Repositories
Sample federal-level hospital comparison
dataset (care, mortality, and readmission
quality measures)--available via
programmatic API, and in downloadable
CSV format.

21. Data.CDC.gov--Socrata
Data Repositories
● Socrata-driven datasets covering a
broad range of health topics.
● Web-configurable displays--filterable
by such criteria as year and region.
● Viewable in varying formats (bar,
graph, pie chart).
● Downloadable in varying data formats
(CSV, JSON, XML, PDF, etc.).
● Programmatically accessible via the
Socrata Open Data API (SODA).

22. Open.FDA.gov
Data Repositories
The Food and Drug Administration’s newly-created
OpenFDA initiative seeks to open the
department’s massive data stores to easy and
programmatic accessibility.
The initiative is currently focused on:
● Adverse Drug Events--A database of over 3
million adverse event reports.
● Recalls (coming soon)--Enforcement
report and product recalls data.
● Documentation (coming soon)--
Structured product labeling data.

23. OpenFDA on the Move...
OpenFDA was built by developers, for developers, using open standards. The project offers APIs,
raw data downloads, documentation, and examples: github.com/FDA/openfda.
OpenFDA data and APIs are already being utilized in the market:
● Epidemico’s MedWatcher mobile app (medwatcher.org) tracks and reports side-effects of
drugs, medical devices, and vaccines, and now integrates OpenFDA adverse event data into
its offerings.
● Social Health Insights’ web app (openfda.socialhealthinsights.com) offers searchable desktop
access into FDA’s adverse event data.
Data Repositories

24. Youth Risk Data
Data Repositories
While not yet API-accessible, CDC’s web-driven
“Youth Online: High School YRBS
(Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance)”
demonstrates the power of granular and
localizable federal health data:
● Filterable by state, age, gender, etc., and
by such youth related health topics as
tobacco use, alcohol use, diet, sexual
behavior, and more.
● Configurable display--tabular/graph.
● Downloadable images and datasets.
http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/Default.
aspx

25. Additional Youth Risk Data
Data Repositories
9th grade alcohol/drug use data in
New York for 2013, broken down by
gender. Such datasets are
downloadable, and thereby
programmatically accessible.
http://nccd.cdc.
gov/youthonline/App/Default.aspx

26. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
System (BRFSS)
Data Repositories
<--- Smoking prevalence data by
states
Such tabular datasets are downloadable,
and thereby programmatically accessible.
● Configurable by state.
● Filterable by such topic categories as
diabetes, hypertension, tobacco, and
obesity.
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss/index.asp

27. Web Based Injury Statistics (WISQARS)
Data Repositories
Fatal and non-fatal injury maps and
statistics.
● Configurable by national region, sex,
age, and ethnicity.
● Filterable by such topic categories as
animal bites, falls, gunshots, assault,
mortocycle, bicycle, etc.
● Downloadable datatets and map
images.
http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/

28. AIDS/Hepatitis/STD/TB Web Atlas (NCHHSTP)
Data Repositories
STD, Hepatitis, and TB interactive
web atlas.
● Configurable by year, state,
county.
● Filterable by type of infectious
disease, ethnicity, sex, and age.
● Downloadable datatets and
map images.
http://gis.cdc.
gov/GRASP/NCHHSTPAtlas/main.
html

29. Localizable Flu Data
Data Repositories
CDC’s FluView site similarly demonstrates
the power of granular, localizable,
configurable, and downloadable federal
health data:
● National and regional level flu
dashboard.
● Configurable and filterable data,
statistics, displays, and graphs.
● Downloadable images and datasets.
http://gis.cdc.
gov/grasp/fluview/fluportaldashboard.html

30. Wealth of Content and Data
Data Repositories
Federal digital health content and data already spans a wide range of offerings:
● Web content
● Ecards
● Podcasts
● RSS
● Images
● Buttons
● Widgets
● Video
● Infographics
● Numerical Data

31. The New HHS Digital Media
Platform
New HHS Digital Media Platform (the
software/API that powers federal syndication
sites) offers:
● Vastly expanded categories of searchable
and syndicatable digital offerings--web
content, infographics, widgets, buttons,
videos, podcasts, ecards, and RSS feeds.
Ready, available, and live:
● CDC API: http://tools.cdc.
gov/api/docs/info.aspx
● CDC Syndication Site: tools.cdc.
gov/medialibrary
Data Repositories

32. Cross-Departmental API
Data Repositories
The New HHS Digital Media Platform
also offers:
● Core functionality/API that is
common across departments.
● Easy facility to create microsites
around a given health topic (such
as Tobacco) that combine diverse
data and content from multiple
federal agencies.

33. Backward Compatability
Meanwhile, CDC’s previous feed/syndication-driven API interface will remain supported, for
those institutions currently accessing content in this way:
https://tools.cdc.gov/syndication/api.aspx
● Sample Feed API Request:
http://t.cdc.gov/feed.aspx?topicid=[optional parameter]&format=[optional parameter]
&fromdate=[optional parameter]
● Sample Syndication API Request:
http://t.cdc.gov/synd.aspx?url=[required parameter]&[optional parameters]
Data Repositories

34. Local-Level Partner Offerings
Many city government sites are following suit with local-level data sites:
● Often similarly powered by Socrata.
● Familiar interfaces and programmatic APIs--facilitating application mashups that
combine data from the local, state, and federal levels.
https://data.sfgov.org
Data Repositories

35. State-Level Partner Offerings
Many state government sites are following suit with data sites, including California:
● Often similarly powered by Socrata.
● Familiar interfaces and programmatic APIs--facilitating application mashups that
combine data from the local, state, and federal levels.
https://chhs.data.ca.gov
Data Repositories

36. Web and Mobile Apps

37. API-Driven Public Health Apps
Federal agencies have already developed a wealth of mobile device apps, operating upon their
programmatically accessible data and content offerings.
Mobile Apps

38. Location-based Services
Health and Human Services web app accesses local level information to provide a location-based
finder for AIDS-related services:
● Zip code entry and mile-radius configuration.
● Presents map location of testing, housing assistance, mental health assistance, substance abuse
treatment, and more.
https://locator.aids.gov/
Data Repositories

39. Federal/Local Mashups...
Mobile Apps
CDC’s “FluView” app demonstrates a
federal/local information mashup:
● Mobile device companion to CDC online
FluView site.
● Color-coded map of national-level flu
trends.
● Active links on map image to state-level
flu information/DPH sites.

40. Sophisticated Data Visualization
CDC’s interactive Diabetes Web Atlas offers:
● National, state, and county level diabetes data, presented both in maps and data tables.
● Filterable by state, county, and year.
● Downloadable datasets and map images.
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/atlas/countydata/atlas.html
Data Repositories

41. Public Health Gaming
CDC’s “Solve the Outbreak” iPad app:
● Melds public health education with a
full-featured adventure/sleuthing
game—letting players investigate and
solve a variety of international public
health crises.
● Compelling adventure lets gamers learn
first-hand what medical epidemiologists
do every day in order to keep our world
safe.
Mobile Apps

42. Looking Forward

43. Partnerships and Innovation
● Weather and location-based apps
demonstrate the power of
melding government
content/data with private sector
technology.
● HHS, CDC, FDA seek to bring
similar innovations to open
health data.
● Health info made available
anywhere, anytime, and on any
device, while enabling seamless
mashups with related state and
local offerings.
Looking Forward

44. Working Together
Your imagination as developers can
help bring the President’s Digital
Government Strategy to full fruition:
● Enable users to access localized flu
stats.
● Check CDC-recommended vaccine
schedules.
● View localized teen drug/tobacco
stats.
● Find nearby disaster relief
centers/relevant health advisories.
● Other as-yet unimagined
innovations and possibilities!
Looking Forward

45. Resources
US Digital Government Strategy:
https://cio.gov/innovate/digital-strategy/
Federal/State Content Syndication Sites
● CDC: https://tools.cdc.gov/syndication/
● CDC v3.0 Media Library: https://tools.cdc.
gov/medialibrary
● FDA/CTP (Center for Tobacco Products): https://tools.
fda.gov/CSStorefront/
● NIH/NIAID: https://tools.niaid.nih.gov/syndication/
● HHS: https://syndication.hhs.gov
● Ohio Department of Health (ODH): https://odhsynd.
odh.ohio.gov/syndication/
● HHS Digital Media API Platform (Syndication
Software):
http://sourceforge.net/projects/contentservices/
Federal Data Sites
● HealthData.gov: http://healthdata.gov
● Data.CDC.gov: https://data.cdc.gov
● openFDA.gov: https://open.fda.gov/
Looking Forward
Federal Data Sites (cont.)
● Youth Online: High School (YRBS): http://nccd.cdc.
gov/youthonline/App/Default.aspx
● Behavioral Risk Factors (BRFSS):
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss/index.asp
● Injury Statistics (WISQARS):
http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/
● STD/TB Web Atlas (NCHHSTP):
http://gis.cdc.gov/GRASP/NCHHSTPAtlas/main.html
● FluView Dashboard: http://gis.cdc.
gov/grasp/fluview/fluportaldashboard.html
CA State Health Data Portal
https://chhs.data.ca.gov/
Mobile Apps
http://www.cdc.gov/mobile/mobileapp.html
Web Apps
● AIDS Location-Based Services:
https://locator.aids.gov/
● Diabetes Web Atlas:
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/atlas/countydata/atlas.
html

46. THANK YOU!
Steve Meloan
meloan@sbcglobal.net
Eric Davis edavis@forumone.
com
Thom Williams
tho1@cdc.gov