Visualizing 50 Years of Cancer Mortality Rates Across the US at Multiple Geographic Levels Using a Synchronized Map and Graph Animation

Data Sources and Map Logistics Age-adjusted mortality rates, stratified by year, for counties, individual states, and the United States were obtained from the CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) website, including its Compressed Mortality File 1968 through 1978, its Compressed Mortality File 1979 through 1998, and its Multiple Cause of Death file for 1999 through 2017 (5). In doing so, animation can enable some data visualizations to convey patterns and relationships that are not apparent from static visualizations, especially across geographic levels. [...]we encourage data analysts to consider synchronized graph and choropleth map animations as an option for communicating data to public health researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Compressed Mortality File 1968–1978 and Compressed Mortality File 1979–1998 and CDC WONDER Online Database, Multiple Cause of Death Files 1999–2017 (5).