Background/Objectives
Navigating the complexities of data for informed climate decisions presents an ongoing challenge, given the dynamic nature of available information. The landscape of tools and technologies that transform this data into actionable insights is constantly evolving. Organizations must equip themselves with capable staff or tools to efficiently convert this data into usable information for meaningful decision making. This becomes particularly daunting when time-sensitive decisions need to be made.
To address this challenge, the CDC’s Climate & Health Program (CHP) and the Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) have introduced the Heat & Health Tracker. This dedicated dashboard compiles and presents information on heat and health, leveraging the CDC’s EPHT Data Explorer Platform. The Data Explorer is a web-based visualization tool offering over 500 measures of environmental and public health data, complemented by a public Application Programming Interface (API) and data download capabilities for customized usage by scientists.
Since 2008, the Battelle Memorial Institute has collaborated with CDC's EPHT, playing a crucial role in the design, implementation, and maintenance of the Data Explorer and Heat & Health Tracker, along with managing the data pipelines that fuel these tools.
Approach/Activities
The Heat & Health Tracker focuses on delivering localized heat and health information, empowering communities to prepare for and respond to extreme heat events effectively. Users can explore the impact of extreme heat on identified counties, identify at-risk populations, and assess available response resources. The tool presents data visually through maps, charts, and infographics, covering historical and current heat events, heat-related illnesses, monthly forecasts, and projected heat event information.
Beyond its visualization capabilities, the Heat & Health Tracker facilitates direct access to the underlying calculated data. This feature empowers users to integrate information into their projects or studies and visualize it using their preferred tools and services. The tool also provides additional resources and guidance on data use, interpretation, and practical use cases.
Results/Lessons Learned
The Heat & Health Tracker serves as a centralized hub, providing decision-makers with collated and up-to-date information for informed decision-making. Empowering decision-makers with quick access to pertinent information, the tool streamlines the decision-making process. Furthermore, the availability of the Data Explorer allows decision-makers to delve deeper into the data if the collated information proves insufficient, eliminating the need for extensive staffing and tools for data gathering, organization, and analysis.