Visual Analytics for Epidemiological Analysis and Decision-Making

Dear Colleagues,

Background & history of this topic: The increasing popularity of graphical applications for data visualization has inspired a growing body of diverse graphs, charts, plots and maps in the research literature. However, specific recommendations for using tables and graphs in relation to the process of data synthesis, resource calculation and decision-making are lacking. Visual analytics, a technique aiding data analysis and decision-making, is a tool that allows for a comprehension of the context of complex systems. In this Special Issue, we accept research about examples of how epidemiologists, public health professionals, economists and politicians can use visual analytics to facilitate data interpretation, resource calculation and allocation, and decision-making.

Aim and scope of the special issue: This Special Issue aims to explore the innovative use of visual analytics in the field of epidemiology to enhance data interpretation and support decision-making processes. The scope includes the development and application of visual tools that help epidemiologists, public health professionals, economists and policymakers better understand complex data and derive meaningful insights for cost-effective public health preventions and interventions. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, this Special Issue seeks to bridge the gap between visual analytics and epidemiological research, promoting the integration of advanced visualization techniques in public health and health economics strategies.

Cutting-edge research: We are interested in cutting-edge research that demonstrates the application of visual analytics in various epidemiological contexts. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Development of new visualization techniques tailored for epidemiological data;
• Comparative studies evaluating the effectiveness of different visual analytics tools;
• Integration of visual analytics with other data analysis methods to improve and optimize public health decision-making;
• Exploration of the theoretical foundations of visual analytics in the context of epidemiology.

What kind of papers we are soliciting: We are soliciting original research articles, reviews, case studies and technical notes that address the following topics:

• Novel visualization techniques for epidemiological data;
• Applications of visual analytics in disease surveillance and outbreak detection;
• Visualization tools for health data integration and interpretation;
• User-centric design of visual analytics systems for epidemiologists and economists;
• Evaluations of visual analytics systems in real-world epidemiological settings;
• Interdisciplinary approaches combining epidemiology, data science and visual analytics.

Dr. Ivy J. Shiue
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• visual analytics
• epidemiology
• data visualization
• public health
• disease surveillance
• data interpretation
• decision-making
• health economics
• health informatics
• geospatial analysis