Visualization of infectious disease occurrence trend and development of epidemiological analysis system

Abstract

Dr Kazuhiko Kanou of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan, has turned his skills as a protein-modelling expert to the issues behind analysing and presenting epidemiological information. Inspired by renowned infectious disease scientists such as Nobel Prize winner Professor Satoshi Omura, who previously worked at his university, Kanou is investigating the angles involved in data analysis, however he is currently focused on the visualisation of the data. Epidemiological data needs to be accessible and interpretable by a number of different stakeholders. Naturally, physicians and medical scientists need to be able to quickly understand the data. However, it is also important that it is interpretable by laymen such as government officials, news organisations and the general public. Therefore, the question of how to visualise that data is an important one. The data needs to be easily understood and avoids misinterpretation. Detail is also important, but should not be overwhelming or mask overall trends. Therefore, Kanou has been experimenting with different styles of data visualisation and is trying to find a suitable style and method.