(25 May 2023) WHO is proud to announce a transformative digital platform, data.who.int, a one-stop shop for health data. Data.who.int fulfills WHO’s commitment to provide health data as a public good; it is powered by the ambitious technologies of WHO’s World Health Data Hub, delivering an end-to-end solution for WHO data processes. From collection to use, the World Health Data Hub provides a world class experience leveraging innovative technology to address data challenges.
Data.who.int provides open access to WHO’s health data through a harmonized, consolidated and seamless experience. Starting with the data underlying WHO’s annual World Health Statistics report, the new website reimagines the indicator page – the most representative level of data presentation – with consistent, expressive and accessible visualization, while also presenting metadata to promote ease of accessibility, reference and use. The data powering WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring is now fully accessible to the public in a harmonized, seamless experience. Furthermore, the data.who.int country pages highlight life expectancy, leading causes of death, and civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) figures by country, making it easy to quickly access and compare country-level data.
Data.who.int aims to be the most accessible public health data platform in the world. For the first time, all data will be digitally available in the six official languages of the United Nations, while also respecting local formatting, charting, and color conventions. Charts and their contents are more widely accessible through an appropriately chosen design vocabulary and inclusive approaches to chart design, as well as increasing support for assistive devices and alternative modes of access. Controlled color schemes ensure that chart colors are colorblind-safe and with sufficient contrast for multiple consumption contexts. As a key process in the iterative development, release and improvement of the website, data.who.int is undergoing regular testing with users representing the visually, motor and cognitive impaired communities to consistently improve accessibility.
The press release in full is here.
