Web-based Interactive Mapping

A Part of the Q-DART Toolset

Currently under development, the Q-DART Web-based interactive mapping tool further enhances quality improvement efforts by creating interactive maps that health plans, public health agencies, researchers, and other stakeholders can use to analyze and share information. These maps, custom built for each client or research project, will be posted on a secure, password-protected RAND Web page.

The mapping tool is straightforward to use and accessible even for users who lack formal training in statistical methods or GIS. The interactive maps include a powerful set of features and can be populated with a wide array of data, either publicly available or provided by the client, that will enable users to rapidly explore patterns of performance and associated demographic factors at different geographic levels. For example, a user can examine the distribution of individuals from different racial/ethnic backgrounds who have not received a colorectal screening at the regional, county, or city level, within the boundaries of an identified hot spot, or in an area the user can define on the fly. The tool will allow users to easily generate other summary information in the form of bar charts, tables, etc., which can be printed or exported to electronic files along with selected maps.