USAPI - Cancer Dashboards

Welcome to the USAPIJ Cancer Dashboard page.

About the Geo-Dashboards

Most cancer data across the U.S. Pacific Island Jurisdictions cannot be processed with standard geocoding software because many communities lack formal street addresses or named thoroughfares.

To address this challenge and meet the growing need for spatial visualization of regional health data, the Pacific Regional Central Cancer Registry (PRCCR) launched a pilot project in 2023 to develop custom GIS geo-dashboards. These interactive tools provide visual insights into geographic patterns to support public health understanding across the region. Over time, additional jurisdictions have been integrated into the platform as funding permits.

Purpose and Usage Guidelines

These geo-dashboards are designed exclusively to support the visual exploration of cancer data starting from data year 2018.

Exploratory Resource: Policy, clinical, or programmatic decisions should not be made based solely on these visualization tools (geo-dashboards).

Data Coverage: The geo-dashboards currently display cancer cases diagnosed from 2018 through 2023 (Diagnosis Years 2018–2023). Each case is counted in the year the cancer was diagnosed. Because cancer data take time to collect, review, and verify, newer diagnosis years are added during the annual update described below.

Intended Function: The dashboards support public health evaluation, help identify spatial trends, and help researchers and health leaders ask targeted questions for further investigation.

Cancer Geo-Dashboards are currently available for the following US Affiliated Pacific Jurisdictions:

• American Samoa
• Guam (Guahan)
• Republic of Palau (Beluu er a Belau)
• State of Pohnpei (Ponape), FSM
• State of Yap, FSM

We are working to expand this list, which depends heavily on available external funding.

What to Expect Inside the Dashboards
When you click into any of the jurisdiction links below, you will open an interactive workspace. Instead of static reports, these dashboards let you visualize public health data directly on a map.

You will find:

• Interactive Maps: Visual heatmaps and pins showing where different cancer cases are concentrated across counties, regions, or municipalities.
• Custom Filters: Tools to isolate specific data, such as looking only at breast cancer cases, or cases within a specific age group.
• Dynamic Charts: Visual graphs that update automatically based on the areas or filters you select, helping you spot trends instantly.

Open Full Screen Version of the American Samoa Cancer Dashboard in a New Window

Open Full Screen Version of the Guam Cancer Dashboard in a New Window

Open Full Screen Version of the Palau Cancer Dashboard in a New Window

Open Full Screen Version of the Pohnpei, FSM Cancer Dashboard in a New Window

Open Full Screen Version of the Yap, FSM Cancer Dashboard in a New Window

QUICK START GUIDE for the Geo-Dashboards

Our Geo-Dashboards are completely interactive.

This means clicking on almost anything—a map area, a list item, or a chart—will filter the rest of the screen to show data only for what you selected (clicked on).

Tip: If you ever get stuck or your map goes blank because you clicked too many filters, refresh your web browser page to reset the Dashboard back to its original view!

Here is how to get the most out of your experience:

Switching Your Map View (Top Center Buttons):

At the very top of the Dashboard, you will see three main view buttons: County, Region, and Municipality.

• How to use it: Click these to zoom in or out of the geographical boundaries.
• What it does: If you select "County," the map and charts will summarize cancer cases across entire counties. Clicking "Municipality" breaks the map down into smaller, local community borders, allowing you to see highly localized health data.
• Important Note on Data Totals:
  You may notice the total number of cases changes depending on the view you select.
  • County Level: This view displays all recorded cancer cases for the jurisdiction within your selected timeframe.
  • Region / Municipality Level: These zoomed-in views only display cases that had enough specific address information for the cancer registrar to map them to a local area accurately. If a case lacks detailed location data, it will only appear on the broader County view.

Filtering by Cancer Type (Left Sidebar):

On the left side of your screen, you will see a list of different cancer types.

• How to use it: Click on any cancer type (for example, "Lung"). To unselect it, click it again.
• What it does: Once you select a specific cancer, the map instantly updates to show only where those cases were diagnosed. The charts on the right will also change to show the age and gender demographics specifically for that cancer type.

"Diagnosed By" Worksheets (Top Right Window):

When you are viewing the Region or Municipality map views, look at the top right corner of the Dashboard for a window labeled Diagnosed By.

• How to use it: Inside this window, there are two separate "worksheets" or tabs you can toggle between.
• What it does: Switching between these tabs allows you to view the data grouped by different demographic categories without losing your place on the map. It’s a great way to view secondary insights at a glance.

Interacting with the Bar Charts (Right Side):

The bar charts on the right side of the screen aren't just for looking at—they act as powerful filters! You can select specific bars to narrow down your data in three ways:

• Single Selection: Click once on a single bar (e.g., the "Female" bar).
  • Result: The map will instantly isolate and display only female cases.
• Drag Selection (Grouping consecutive items): Click, hold, and drag your mouse across multiple bars next to each other.
  • Result: Great for age ranges! Drag across ages 50 to 70, and the map will highlight only cases within that entire age block.
• Custom Selection (Picking specific, non-connected items): Hold down the CTRL key (or Command on a Mac) and click the specific bars you want.
  • Result: This is perfect for comparing specific years. For example, hold CTRL and click the bars for 2018, 2020, and 2022. The map and other charts will update to show you only the data from those three specific years, hiding 2019 and 2021.

Data Maintenance and Updates

The PRCCR is committed to maintaining these geo-dashboards as a long-term resource, subject to funding availability.

Update Schedule: Participating local cancer registries update data annually during the first half of each calendar year.

Sustainability: Future expansion and platform maintenance remain subject to ongoing grant support and regional administrative resources.

Acknowledgments

The development and ongoing operation of this project are made possible through the collaboration of key regional partners, public health officials, and dedicated specialists:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – National Program for Cancer Registries (NPCR)
• Pacific Regional Central Cancer Registry (PRCCR)
• Cancer Council of the Pacific Islands
• University of Hawaiʻi Foundation
• Pacific Regional Cancer Registrars, whose dedication to data collection makes regional surveillance possible
• Pacific Public Health Professionals, who assisted in advising and shaping the dashboard tools
• Christine Chaplin, GIS Professional

Funding Statement

This project was funded under Cooperative Agreement CDC 6NU58DP006312 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – National Program for Cancer Registries.