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Blue Raster helps you tell your story through interactive
mapping technology. Make your message clear, exciting,
and user-friendly for both mobile and web platforms.

MEASURE DHS

Dig deeper with new Topics pages from The DHS Program

Posted on by Phil Satlof

Blue Raster is a long term partner of USAID funded The DHS Program – since 2009 we have collaborated on and created such tools as STATcompiler, Spatial Data Repository, The DHS Program Mobile app, The DHS Program API and the central communications hub: DHSProgram.com.

The DHS Program API already powers the STATcompiler, Mobile App and SDR- and now you can visualize the indicator data that the API provides on DHSProgram.com as well.

New Topics pages have been created to help interested users narrow their focus and uncover relevant indicators:

The topics pages showcase the latest relevant survey data and were built using HTML5 and JavaScript.  Each page is essentially a mini application that calls to The DHS Program API to automatically update when new surveys are released so that the freshest data is served and visualized.

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Some Topics pages, such as Gender, allow users to easily compare certain indicators side by side in a table- new functionality specific to the Topics pages.  Handy links to contextual information are provided in the page sidebars.

More topics pages are on the way…see this post by The DHS Program and you can help decide what comes next!

“Data visualization has always been a key part of communicating DHS data to our audiences. We started with STATcompiler, a tool allowing users to create custom tables based on thousands of health indicators across over 90 countries and compare trends across time. Now, with the continuing support from Blue Raster, we’re pleased to see we have expanded our data visualization practices to our topic pages. With their guidance, we’ve developed a simplified version of STATcompiler as a mini-tool easing our users into the world of data visualization of DHS data.”

Sarah Kim, Digital Media Specialist, The DHS Program


 

Open Data and Cool Apps: Blue Raster Presents at IMIA

Posted on by Phil Satlof

Blue Raster Senior Project Manager, Phil Satlof, presented as an invited guest for the International Map Industry Association (IMIA) DC meetup.

From the IMIA website, the mission of the organization is defined:

“The International Map Industry Association is a global organization that represents the world of maps. IMIA brings together leaders from across the spectrum of mapping and location-oriented businesses to connect, share and learn.”

Rosslyn based Esri DC R+D Center hosted the event, featuring presenters from the US Government, private industry and non-profit sectors. Blue Raster and others shared the latest ideas around Open Data and Cool Apps . Alongside presenters from the US Census Bureau, US Forest Service and NOAA, Phil used the opportunity to highlight several long term Blue Raster projects and their data sources:

Partner of the Year: Federal Small Business Specialty

Posted on by Megan Gottfried

Blue Raster is excited to be recognized as the first ever Partner of the Year as part of the Esri Federal Small Business Specialty (FSBS) program. Each of the members has a unique opportunity to connect with the US Federal Government customers and other small business looking for the newest and most creative Esri solutions.

To learn more about our products and federal customers, visit us at the 2017 Esri Fed GIS Conference on February 13-14 at our booth near the small business pavilion, or catch one of our presentations at the Federal Conference:

  • “The Potential of Drones to support Forest and Chimpanzee Conservation”, Phil Satlof and Lillian Pintea from The Jane Goodall Institute, Esri’s Drone Zone, Hall B, Feb 13th at 2:20pm and Feb 14th at 2:00pm
  • “Applying Spatial Analysis Techniques to Make Better Decisions”, Kevin McMaster and Brett Rose from Esri, Feb. 14th, Room 145 A, 8:30am
  • “Small Business Partners Fostering Next Generation GIS”, Amy Ramsdell , Feb. 14th, EXPO Hall Workshop 2, 12:15pm
  • “Analysis and Geoprocessing in ArcGIS Pro”, Chris Gabris, Feb. 14th, Room 146, 4:00pm

Blue Raster has launched several Federal projects in the past year which are featured at the conference, including:

  • Critical Loads Mapper, built for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), helps better understand local and regional vulnerability to atmospheric pollution.
  • The College Map, a collaboration with Sanametrix, and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), is a search tool to geographically narrow down colleges and filter by major. state, school size, and other common search parameters.
  • STATcompiler and the DHS Program Mobile App now available in French, part of a longstanding partnership with USAID to disseminate demographic and health survey data for over 90 countries.

If you can’t make the Federal Conference, the entire Blue Raster team will be participating in the 2017 Esri Developer Summit March 7-10.

DHS Program Mobile App v2.0 Released

Posted on by Christina Nordling

Blue Raster is excited to announce the release of the The DHS Program Mobile App v2.0. A more intuitive interface, offline data download feature and enhanced cartography are a few of the upgrades creating excitement around v2.0.

Here’s a first look at what’s new in this release.

DHS-Mobile-2015-as-released_Compilation

125 indicators

Now when you use the app, you have access to 101 additional indicators — providing more than three times as much data than was previously accessible in v1.0. Behind the scenes, data is being supplied by the STATcompiler database through The DHS Program API. This ensures that you always have up-to-date data, even as new countries and indicators are added or adjusted.

Beautiful, clear design

We updated the look and feel of the app to give you a more compelling, intuitive user experience. We also revamped the maps to feature the latest in cartographic design allowing for better interpretation and clarity.

Take data offline

In v1.0, you could display trends for a single country through Quickstats and compare and contrast 25 preloaded indicators through a series of tables, charts and maps. Now v2.0 features the ability to download Quickstat data packages by country, making complete sets of data accessible even when offline. Through a combination of SQLite, Adobe PhoneGap, HTML5, AngularJS, and JavaScript, Blue Raster and The DHS Program are able to provide far more indicators offline to Android and iOS users.

Get the app for your device today.

STATcompiler Redefined: Into the Modern Era

Posted on by Megan Gottfried

More than 15 years after initial creation, STATCompiler has reached a level of unparalleled excellency with the latest release. The newly designed Beta STATCompiler website now reflects the most up-to-date indicator data from The DHS Program in a platform accessible universally across devices.

STATcompiler1

MapinMini

 

There are several changes to STATCompiler that bring it in to a new era:

  • New user interface and all new cartography for beautiful maps and visualizations
  • Over 500 new indicators including data from the DHS-6 tabulation plan on topics such as domestic violence, female genital cutting, malaria and maternal mortality
  • Metadata is now included in the “indicator details” with full definitions, denominators, and the measure of data (rate, percentage, etc.).
  • Confidence Intervals are now included in the graphics, an especially important consideration for rare events, particularly HIV prevalence and maternal mortality.
  • New data visualizations such as pop-ups in the map that summarizes trends over time
  • Mobile friendly interface allows it to be accessed on tablet devices.
  • The site now leverages the DHS Program’s public Application Programming Interface (API) ensuring data continuity and authenticity.

STATCompiler is built with modern tools such as JavaScript, HTML 5, the ArcGIS JavaScript API and incorporates proven legacy tools such as ColdFusion.

 

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