The team developed the Virginia Life Expectancy Dashboard using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to map life expectancy across Virginia at the census tract level.
The dashboard integrates life expectancy estimates and socioeconomic and demographic indicators from public health databases. The team retrieved, cleaned, and standardized data to ensure accuracy before incorporating it into an interactive platform that explores the connection between socioeconomic factors and health outcomes.
Data sources include:
- Census Tracts: Census tract boundaries for Virginia are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) system, which provides spatial data. Census tracts represent areas with similar population characteristics. Learn more U.S. Census TIGER files.
- Life Expectancy: The USALEEP (U.S. Small-Area Life Expectancy Estimates Project) dataset provides neighborhood-level life expectancy data for census tracts in Virginia. Learn more about USALEEP
- Health Opportunity Index: The Virginia Health Opportunity Index (HOI) measures how social and economic factors impact health across the state. It combines over 30 variables into a single index, allowing users to explore health-related opportunities at different levels. Learn more about the Virginia HOI.
- Social Vulnerability Index: The CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) helps identify communities that may need extra support before, during, and after emergencies. By analyzing 16 U.S. Census variables, the SVI measures factors like poverty, housing conditions, and access to transportation, grouping them into four themes that reflect overall social vulnerability. Learn more about the SVI.
