A Spatial Dashboard for Alzheimer's Disease in New South Wales

Stud Health Technol Inform. 2017:239:126-132.

Abstract

This paper illustrates a proof of concept scenario for the application of comprehensive data visualisation methods in the rapidly changing aged care sector. The scenario we explored is population ageing and the dementias with an emphasis on the spatial effects of change over time at the Statistical Area 2 (SA2) level for the state of New South Wales. We did this using a combination of methods, culminating in the use of the Tableau software environment to explore the intersections of demography, epidemiology and their formal cost of care implications. In addition, we briefly illustrate how key infrastructure data can be included in the same data management context by showing how service providers can be integrated and mapped in conjunction with other analyses. This is an innovative and practical approach to some of the complex issues already faced in the health and aged care sectors which can only become more pronounced as population ageing progresses.

Keywords: Ageing; dashboard; informatics; spatial; visualisation.

MeSH terms

  • Aging
  • Alzheimer Disease*
  • Data Collection*
  • Dementia
  • Demography
  • Humans
  • New South Wales
  • Statistics as Topic*