The Atlas of Birth: online global health mapping updated!

  • babies on backs
The Atlas of Birth is a clear and accessible web-based guide to the global picture of maternal and newborn health, told with maps, graphics and stories.

New look: The Atlas of birth is easy to access and maps can be generated for 16 key variables and compared side by side.  A key innovation is that the data on 8 high burden countries can now be explored at subnational scales and across time – comparing regions and provinces within countries. 

Knowledge drives change, and change is needed as never before to end the needless deaths of women around the world during pregnancy and birth.

Prof Zoe Matthews, Jason Sadler and Andy Tatem of the University of Southampton have chosen the high level conference ‘Women Deliver’ in Copenhagen this week (starting 16 May 2016[1]) to relaunch their advocacy-friendly mapping site www.atlasofbirth.org

Maternal and newborn health statistics have improved around the world – but international targets have not been met – while aspirations for other development targets have raced ahead. 

The new website is part of a worldwide effort to ensure that this agenda is not lost, and that women and childrens’ lives still matter. How do we convey the scale of what is continuing to happen to women and babies in a way that is both accessible to activists and journalists and useful to those who want to make urgent practical changes (politicians, planners and policy makers) in the countries where so many women die for lack of quality health care? 

The answer is ‘The Atlas of Birth’. This is a strongly visual approach, using the latest graphics to portray the statistical picture – yet on the same pages are powerful photographs, quotes and stories telling the human story of what happens when a mother dies or survives through the words of those closest to her; her children, husband, friends and relatives. 

This newly revamped website is part of a bigger project which has seen the launch of ‘Atlas of Birth’ flyers and leaflets in response to key political moments since 2009, ranging from G8 Summits to meetings of the African Union and Inter Parliamentary Union, as well as high profile political events in Nigeria, Kenya, India, Ghana and during the launch of new numbers on stillbirths globally.

The maps and stories in these Atlas of Birth products have vividly drawn attention to the key issues and have sparked heated debate and wide media coverage. The first Atlas of Birth book was released at the Women Deliver conference in June 2010, and since then the evidence base has been augmented, updated and generally improved. 

Prof Matthews, in collaboration WorldPop [2], Mamaye , White Ribbon Alliance and other maternal-newborn health advocates have therefore chosen this years ‘Women Deliver’ conference to capture the updates in a website – where the Atlas of Birth distinctive stories and map comparisons can be simply accessed. 

The innovation is a step towards the new SDG era in ‘leaving nobody behind – to try to make the website a place where we can explore subnational statistics on MNH across time and space.

Atlas of birth team members:

  • Jez Austin: Web developer
  • Sarah Neal: Expert on adolescent indicators
  • Cori Ruktanonchai: Maternal health GIS expert
  • Brigid McConville: Maternal health advocate
  • sustainable development goal 3 ending preventable maternal mortality

The Atlas of Birth has reached decisionmakers in many countries

[1] The new system will be launched and demonstrated at the side meeting on “Strengthening midwifery in the SDG era: from evidence to implementation’16 May 2016, 12 noon, Bella Centre, Copenhagen

[2] Atlas of Birth and WorldPop have worked in collaboration to map maternal and newborn health indicators at subnational scales. WorldPop develops scalable methods and models to improve the spatial demographic evidence base for low- and middle-income countries by partnering with statistical agencies, NGOs, and health ministries. For more information, go to www.worldpop.org.

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