Data Exploration and Visualization

Westat has created tools that simplify the data collection experience, from collection, to processing, to analysis. Here we provide examples of how we leverage WesDaX, and web and data visualization tools.

WesDaX© Graphic + NHTSA Graphic

Collecting and processing data is just the beginning of a successful research project. Westat understands this and has worked to create tools to get more value from datasets by simplifying the process of generating data visualizations. Notable examples of these tools include WesDaX and open-source data-summarization toolkits Westat has developed and delivered to several transportation survey clients, starting with the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (https://github.com/Westat-Transportation/summarizeNHTS). More recently, a similar toolkit was delivered to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to make it simpler to use the replicate weights in conjunction with the microdata delivered as part of the National Occupancy Protection Use Surveys.

U.S. Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Skills Map

The PIAAC Skills Map is a highly intuitive interactive map that graphically presents users with and allows them to easily compare statistics regarding adult literacy and numeracy skills in the 50 states, all 3,141 US counties, and the District of Columbia.

The Skills Map uses PIAAC survey data and American Community Survey data. This standalone web application was developed for simplicity to use based on data furnished in CSV files with the results rendered in a web browser. Our team leveraged their expertise with a variety of leading edge web and visualization tools and technologies in the development of this site.