Online Map Design for Public-Health Decision Makers

Abstract Injury places a heavy burden on public-health resources that is not distributed evenly in space, making the mapping of injury and its socio-demographic risk factors an effective tool for prevention planning. In a survey of health-related interactive Web mapping applications we found great variation with respect to content, cartography, and technical aspects. Based on the survey results, input from a group of potential end users, cartographic design principles, and data-set requirements, we created a Web site with static, animated, and interactive injury maps. We mapped injury rates and possible socio-demographic risk factors for the City of Toronto. Through the three functionally different types of maps, a variety of ways to explore the same public-health data sets could be demonstrated. The results highlight the practical options available to public-health analysts and decision makers who wish to expand their data-exploration and decision-support tools with a spatial component.