A Public Health Powerhouse: How the Chicago Department of Public Health Transformed the Chicago Health Atlas with Metopio
About the Customer
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is the public health agency for the City of Chicago, dedicated to improving health outcomes and addressing systemic health disparities. As part of its commitment to data-driven decision-making, CDPH oversees the Chicago Health Atlas, a free online platform providing comprehensive health data for Chicago’s 77 community areas.
The Challenge
CDPH needed to modernize the previous Chicago Health Atlas to improve public access to health data, enhance usability, and integrate social determinants of health (SDOH) insights to support data-driven policies and community action.
Outdated Technology: The Atlas’s original infrastructure lacked advanced analytics and real-time updates, limiting its effectiveness.
Limited Neighborhood-Level Insights: Policymakers and public health officials needed more granular health data to address disparities at the community level.
Fragmented SDOH Data: The platform failed to seamlessly incorporate SDOH metrics like housing, economic stability, and environmental risks.
Risk of Falling Behind: Without modernization, the Atlas faced significant challenges in supporting critical epidemiology work, limiting data-driven decision-making, and hindering public health advancements.
The Solution
By partnering with Metopio, CDPH was able to transform the Chicago Health Atlas into a dynamic, user-friendly platform with:
Comprehensive, Curated Health Data: With Metopio, CDPH increased the available data by 50%, allowing their staff to update, maintain and add data to the millions of existing data points that cover everything from chronic diseases, environmental conditions, and SDOH factors. They’re also able to provide real-time, neighborhood-level insights to help policymakers track disparities and progress.
Interactive Maps & Dashboards: CDPH developed intuitive visualizations with detailed breakdowns by ZIP code and community area, enabling easy comparisons across health indicators and supporting evidence-based decision-making — including an industry leading "health in all policies" dashboard that evaluates indicators across the City to help create a healthier, more vibrant community
Enhanced Accessibility & Stakeholder Engagement: CDPHdesigned a user-friendly experience, eliminating the need for advanced data expertise. Because of this, they’re empowering community organizations, researchers, and residents to access, interpret, and use public health data for advocacy and grant applications.
Metopio’s Impact
Policy Development & Health Initiatives: CDPH uses the Atlas to guide policies like Healthy Chicago 2025, which focuses on reducing the Black-white life expectancy gap.
Real-Time Data for Public Health Decision-Making: City leaders track trends in chronic disease, maternal health, and healthcare access to inform strategic initiatives.
Community Empowerment: Local organizations and residents leverage the Atlas to understand their neighborhood, advocate for policy changes, and secure funding when needed.
National Recognition: The Chicago Health Atlas received a Smart 50 Award for its innovative approach to urban health data accessibility!
What CDPH Says About Metopio
By leveraging the Metopio platform, CDPH successfully modernized the Chicago Health Atlas, turning it into a powerful public health decision-making tool. With enhanced usability, integrated SDOH insights, and community-driven engagement, the Atlas is helping drive data-informed policies and health initiatives across Chicago.
““The Chicago Health Atlas is our central source of truth for public health data in Chicago. It enables us to make informed decisions, align our strategies, and focus on improving health equity across our diverse communities.””
The Chicago Health Atlas is free and open to the public. Explore the data, create custom visualizations, and uncover insights to address health challenges in your community.