Stakeholder experiences of using online spatial data visualisation tools for local public health decision support: A qualitative study

Abstract

The distribution of food outlets within towns and cities and the provision of active travel infrastructure have been associated with health behaviours that can contribute to obesity risk. Decision-makers describe a lack of local data and research evidence as a barrier to policy adoption to improve the public's health. Online spatial data visualisation tools created by researchers can help to bridge this gap. We explored stakeholder experiences of using such tools for decision-support, with a focus on facilitators and barriers to use. We conducted 16 qualitative interviews with Public Health, Planning and Transport Planning professionals, who had used two recently-developed tools. Participants described the importance of tools being open access; their use in “story-telling”, particularly to non-experts; and more broadly their use even when imperfect. They expressed that ‘robustness’ of underpinning data was important, however this was not easily defined. Participants employed personal heuristics, principally based on endorsement and developer credibility, to determine suitability for use. We present key learning points for future developers to maximise engagement and impact.

Geographic Information System for Spatial Planning in Indonesia and Its Support for Smart City Development

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Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program expansion evaluation—A qualitative study

“…Murphy and Russell even hypothesize that ODMAP could help prevent LE burnout through data visualization of the positive impacts of reducing overdoses by administering naloxone (Murphy & Russell, 2020). Indeed, ODMAPs popularity may be driven, in part, by the special role that maps themselves have in making complex data accessible to people with wide ranging expertise (Armstrong‐Moore et al., 2021).…”

Using Geovisualization Tools to Examine Attitudes towards Alcohol Exposure in Urban Environments: A Pilot Study in Madrid, Spain

“…Overall, the use of GIS has been progressively applied to the public health field. For example, estimating the availability of, accessibility to, and exposure to unhealthy commodities, such as alcohol, in the environment [ 49 , 50 , 51 ], or assisting in the creation of cartographic dashboards (e.g., web-mapping platforms) to display useful data for surveillance and/or policy guidance [ 52 , 53 ]. However, the use of geovisualization methods have typically not been integrated into public health, and its potential benefits derived from its implementation remain unknown [ 31 , 32 ].…”