Epidemiological Time Series Visualization

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The GRAPH Course
Epidemiology
Data Reporting
Data Visualization
Timeseries
R
Published

February 25, 2025

Mastering Time Series Visualization for Epidemiology

Understanding time series data is crucial in epidemiology—it helps uncover trends, detect disease outbreaks, and drive data-informed decisions for better health outcomes.

In my latest learning journey, I explored how to leverage ggplot2 and the tidyverse to visualize time series data effectively.

Key Skills Gained

  1. Reshaping time series data using pivot_longer() for better plotting.

  2. Creating clear and insightful line graphs in ggplot2.

  3. Enhancing visualization aesthetics with custom labels, color palettes, and annotations.

  4. Ability to use geom_ribbon() to display confidence intervals.

  5. Applying smoothing techniques to highlight patterns in noisy data.

  6. Comparing multiple time series using dual axes with sec_axis()

For a step-by-step guide with practical examples, visit this site.