About the Nova Scotia Health Atlas
Where you live matters—especially for your health
For years, data on population characteristics, health behaviours, and disease burden were available at the national and provincial levels. But there was no clear picture of how these factors changed from one part of Nova Scotia to another. The NS Health Atlas was created to fill that gap.
The Atlas brings together data from many sources and uses geospatial methods to turn data and research products into interactive maps and visualizations—all in a free, easy-to-use online tool.
How the Atlas began
The NS Health Atlas first launched in 2016, created by the Maritime SPOR Support Unit (MSSU) with support from Nova Scotia Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. It showed how population characteristics, material and social deprivation, and high-cost healthcare use varied across different communities. It also introduced new geographic boundaries called “community clusters,” designed to better reflect the communities they serve and to support smarter planning, research, and health service delivery.
Expanding our horizons
In 2021, work began on an expanded and full-redesigned version of the Atlas. This effort was supported by the MSSU, guided by the expertise of Darkhorse Visualization, and shaped by feedback from several user engagement sessions. The new Atlas is a major step forward. It includes. It includes:
- Updated population data from the most recent census
- New indicators tied to the determinants of health
- Refreshed social and economic indices
- Health behaviours and small-area cancer rates
- More detailed geographies and new tools for exploring the data.
Acknowledgements
The Nova Scotia Health Atlas is a collaborative project. The team is indebted to the Maritime SPOR Support Unit, particularly Marina Hamilton, and through Nova Scotia Health, provided initial support for the redevelopment of the first health atlas and shared expertise in knowledge translation and business development.
We also acknowledge the tireless support of Darkhorse Visualization and, in particular, Dan, Craig, Joey, Shawn, Tyler, and everyone else who has supported this small venture into online analytics and visualization platforms.
We appreciate the input of many individuals and organizations that participated in several consultations and provided feedback on initial ideas and mock-ups. Please know that we attempted to incorporate as many great ideas and suggestions as possible. The NS Health Atlas is a “living” atlas and we welcome your feedback.
The current version of the NS Health Atlas would not exist without the support of the Department of Health and Wellness and the Action for Health plan.