Location-based data visualisation tool for tuberculosis and dengue: A case study in Malaysia

Malaysians suffer from both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Tuberculosis (communicable disease) is common in rural places and dengue (non-communicable disease) is a popular vector-borne disease in Malaysia. Health centres record information of the victims, but merely recording the address in a Microsoft Excel file does not provide much insight to viewers. Currently, an easy to use tool is not available for doctors, officers from the Ministry of Health, and also the public to analyse and visualise the data. It is difficult and time consuming to analyse and interpret raw data tabulated through Microsoft Excel. This research aims to develop a prototype tool that visualises disease data on a Google map. An interpretation is then generated along with the visualisation to give an impartial description about the data. This prototype obtained favourable feedback from a health officer as it can help them in analysing data and assist in the decision making process. The benefit of such application is helpful in tracking diseases' spreading patterns, how to isolate diseases, as well as mobilising personnel and equipment to the affected areas. © 2014 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.