What's New in CDC WONDER

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CDC WONDER is in the process of adding additional content and functionality. This page lists what was recently added, what is coming, and long-term objectives. We welcome feedback from users like you on what you would like added to WONDER's data and services.

Recently Added Functionality:

• Maps of national, state and county data
  Create national, state and county maps of your data! CDC WONDER and GATHER have collaborated to produce maps for WONDER data query applications. GATHER is an acronym for Geographic Analysis Tool for Health & Environmental Research (GATHER), a product of the CDC NCEH/ATSDR Geographic Research, Analysis and Services Program (GRASP).

  How to make a map? First request data grouped by a location, such as State or County, in order to map the data. Then execute the Map button, found below the results displayed for your request. You can make maps for each data element measured, choose whether to display interstates, rivers,and labels, choose your color scheme, and select quantiles or set custom break-points for data groups. Maps are currently available for the following data requests:

  • Census Population Estimates
  • Bridged-Race Population Estimates
  • Natality (births)

• WONDER WebBoard available
  The WONDER WebBoard has been set up as a place where WONDER users can share problems, solutions, ideas for improvements, and any other thoughts related to using WONDER.

• Logon requirement removed
  WONDER user accounts have become less important, and less frequently used, as time has gone on. We have decided to retire all WONDER user accounts, thus removing the need to logon to WONDER, making the system more easily accessible to all of our users.

• New home pages
  We've moved the list of data queries to our home page, since data is what WONDER is all about. We've also categorized the list, to make data easier to find. We've also got the old alphabetical list available with one click, for those already familiar with it.

• New look and feel for all pages
  We've created a new look and feel, including new headers and footers that provide links to all major functionality, and have applied this new look consistently to all pages on the WONDER site.

• Improved search
  We've added the ability to search the entire WONDER site to the searches that already existed for the Scientific Data and Prevention Guidelines document collections. The new search includes request forms and help files along with the document collections, and should greatly enhance the ability to find the data you're looking for.

Recently Added Data:

• Bridged-Race Population Estimates for the years 1990 - 2002
  • Population denominator data based on the Intercensal Census Estimates, with the 31 race categories from the year 2000 Census "bridged" to the 3 legacy race categories for trends analysis of Public Health data.
  • New, improved tab-delimited data export feature provides easier import into your analysis applications.
• AIDS reporting data through 2001
• Natality data through 2002

• Compressed Mortality Update

  • Data is available through the year 2001.
  • You can group data by Selected Causes of Death, such as 113 Selected Causes of Death (for ICD-10).
  • You can restrict data queries to specific cause-of-death groups in 113 Selected Causes of Death (for ICD-10).
  • You can choose whether your table displays rows with zero values (no deaths).
  • The confidentiality threshold for county-level data references the 2000 population values now.
  • The ability to group data by County as the 2nd by-variable is now offered (such as data grouped by Selected Causes of Death and by County).
  • An asterisk and footnote appear for any county that has less years of data available than the full range of years requested.

Coming Soon:

• New years of data will be added to existing datasets:

  • STD Surveillance Morbidity for the years 1990 - 2003
  • Census "Bridged Race" Intercensal Population Estimates for the years 1990 - 2003, with single year of age.
  
  

• Additional datasets

• Links to existing query systems within CDC

• Charts, and county and state maps of data

Long-Term Objectives:

• Improved data management and dissemination:

  • a distributed data system architecture that allows access to data stored at the data provider's location
  • data providers can publish their data to the internet, for web-based data requests
  • data providers can manage business rules for data access, such as confidentiality constraints
  • data providers can perform data management and rapid updates for on-site data system
  • an architecture that is open platform, and allows access to many legacy databases
  
  

• Improved information and analysis targeted to end-users:

  • web-based data query forms that allow ad-hoc queries against all available variables in a data source
  • ability to query multiple data sources and combine and compare disparate data
  • information presented in an educational context, allowing end-users to display a report that is populated with live data and an explanation composed from conditional text
  • data presentation includes charts, maps and notes
  • improved ability to identify available data and information, ability to search meta-data and topic categories
  • ability to make use of standard data models and also set your own "recode" values for variables

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