EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases
Abstract Systematic mapping assesses the nature of an evidence base, answering how much evidence exists on a particular topic. Perhaps the most useful outputs of a systematic map are an interactive database of studies and their meta-data, along with visualisations of this database. Despite the rapid...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2019-06-01
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| Series: | Environmental Evidence |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13750-019-0167-1 |
| _version_ | 1819011819469012992 |
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| author | Neal R. Haddaway Andrew Feierman Matthew J. Grainger Charles T. Gray Ezgi Tanriver-Ayder Sanita Dhaubanjar Martin J. Westgate |
| author_facet | Neal R. Haddaway Andrew Feierman Matthew J. Grainger Charles T. Gray Ezgi Tanriver-Ayder Sanita Dhaubanjar Martin J. Westgate |
| author_sort | Neal R. Haddaway |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Systematic mapping assesses the nature of an evidence base, answering how much evidence exists on a particular topic. Perhaps the most useful outputs of a systematic map are an interactive database of studies and their meta-data, along with visualisations of this database. Despite the rapid increase in systematic mapping as an evidence synthesis method, there is currently a lack of Open Source software for producing interactive visualisations of systematic map databases. In April 2018, as attendees at and coordinators of the first ever Evidence Synthesis Hackathon in Stockholm, we decided to address this issue by developing an R-based tool called EviAtlas, an Open Access (i.e. free to use) and Open Source (i.e. software code is freely accessible and reproducible) tool for producing interactive, attractive tables and figures that summarise the evidence base. Here, we present our tool which includes the ability to generate vital visualisations for systematic maps and reviews as follows: a complete data table; a spatially explicit geographical information system (Evidence Atlas); Heat Maps that cross-tabulate two or more variables and display the number of studies belonging to multiple categories; and standard descriptive plots showing the nature of the evidence base, for example the number of studies published per year or number of studies per country. We believe that EviAtlas will provide a stimulus for the development of other exciting tools to facilitate evidence synthesis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T01:34:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7783f3add2204c4ebd44fd375e8da98a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2047-2382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T01:34:13Z |
| publishDate | 2019-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Evidence |
| spelling | doaj.art-7783f3add2204c4ebd44fd375e8da98a2022-12-21T19:20:17ZengBMCEnvironmental Evidence2047-23822019-06-018111010.1186/s13750-019-0167-1EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databasesNeal R. Haddaway0Andrew Feierman1Matthew J. Grainger2Charles T. Gray3Ezgi Tanriver-Ayder4Sanita Dhaubanjar5Martin J. Westgate6Stockholm Environment InstituteStockholm Environment InstituteModelling Evidence and Policy Group, School of Natural & Environmental Sciences, Newcastle UniversitySchool of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, La Trobe UniversityCentre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of EdinburghInternational Water Management InstituteFenner School of Environment & Society, The Australian National UniversityAbstract Systematic mapping assesses the nature of an evidence base, answering how much evidence exists on a particular topic. Perhaps the most useful outputs of a systematic map are an interactive database of studies and their meta-data, along with visualisations of this database. Despite the rapid increase in systematic mapping as an evidence synthesis method, there is currently a lack of Open Source software for producing interactive visualisations of systematic map databases. In April 2018, as attendees at and coordinators of the first ever Evidence Synthesis Hackathon in Stockholm, we decided to address this issue by developing an R-based tool called EviAtlas, an Open Access (i.e. free to use) and Open Source (i.e. software code is freely accessible and reproducible) tool for producing interactive, attractive tables and figures that summarise the evidence base. Here, we present our tool which includes the ability to generate vital visualisations for systematic maps and reviews as follows: a complete data table; a spatially explicit geographical information system (Evidence Atlas); Heat Maps that cross-tabulate two or more variables and display the number of studies belonging to multiple categories; and standard descriptive plots showing the nature of the evidence base, for example the number of studies published per year or number of studies per country. We believe that EviAtlas will provide a stimulus for the development of other exciting tools to facilitate evidence synthesis.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13750-019-0167-1Evidence synthesis technologySoftwareToolsSystematic mappingData viz |
| spellingShingle | Neal R. Haddaway Andrew Feierman Matthew J. Grainger Charles T. Gray Ezgi Tanriver-Ayder Sanita Dhaubanjar Martin J. Westgate EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases Environmental Evidence Evidence synthesis technology Software Tools Systematic mapping Data viz |
| title | EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases |
| title_full | EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases |
| title_fullStr | EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases |
| title_full_unstemmed | EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases |
| title_short | EviAtlas: a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases |
| title_sort | eviatlas a tool for visualising evidence synthesis databases |
| topic | Evidence synthesis technology Software Tools Systematic mapping Data viz |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13750-019-0167-1 |
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