title: An Online Atlas for Exploring Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Cancer Mortality (1972-2011) and Incidence (1995-2008) in Taiwan.
abstract: Public health mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are already being used to locate the geographical spread of diseases. This study describes the construction of an easy-to-use online atlas of cancer mortality (1972-2011) and incidence (1995-2008) in Taiwan.Two sets of color maps were made based on "age-adjusted mortality by rate" and "age-adjusted mortality by rank." AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), and SVG (Scaling Vector Graphic) were used to create the online atlas. Spatio-temporal patterns of cancer mortality and incidence in Taiwan over the period from 1972 to 2011 and from 1995 to 2008.The constructed online atlas contains information on cancer mortality and incidence (http://taiwancancermap.csmu-liawyp.tw/). The common GIS functions include zoom and pan and identity tools. Users can easily customize the maps to explore the spatio-temporal trends of cancer mortality and incidence using different devices (such as personal computers, mobile phone, or pad). This study suggests an easy- to-use, low-cost, and independent platform for exploring cancer incidence and mortality. It is expected to serve as a reference tool for cancer prevention and risk assessment.This online atlas is a cheap and fast tool that integrates various cancer maps. Therefore, it can serve as a powerful tool that allows users to examine and compare spatio-temporal patterns of various maps. Furthermore, it is an-easy-to use tool for updating data and assessing risk factors of cancer in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health (W-YK, Y-PL, J-YH, ONN, S-YH, P-CK); Department of Family and Community Medicine (Y-PL), Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City; Research Center for Genes (W-CL), Environment and Human Health, and Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University; and Genomics Research Center (C-JC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Yuan
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.forename: Yung-Po
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Liaw
authors.forename: Jing-Yang
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Oswald Ndi
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Nfor
authors.forename: Shu-Yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Pei-Chieh
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Wen-Chung
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chien-Jen
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology