In a climate of growing misinformation, it is essential to ensure access to authoritative, well-documented, and transparent scientific information. When public health indicators are widely used and understood, they enable a better understanding of infectious disease outbreaks, the burden of chronic diseases, their health impacts, and ways to protect against them. The indicators provided also highlight key risk factors (tobacco use, alcohol consumption, etc.). Odissé thus offers easy and open access to data produced by the agency—that is, access to a wide range of indicators covering 90 diseases or health determinants in mainland France and its overseas territories. Some indicators are presented at a very detailed geographic level, sometimes down to the intermunicipal level (EPCI).

The portal provides reliable and up-to-date indicators on a variety of topics: chronic or infectious diseases, environment-related conditions, work-related conditions, lifestyle factors, and more.

To mark the launch of Santé publique France’s new open data portal, here are three questions for Yann Le Strat, the agency’s scientific director.

In what way does Odissé represent a step forward in the exploration of public health data?

Odissé addresses one of the agency’s strategic priorities: modernizing and implementing tools to facilitate the dissemination of its content via open data and the agency’s platforms.

Odissé replaces Géodes, the mapping observatory launched in 2019, which allowed users to view indicators in the form of dynamic maps, tables, and graphs. With a more modern design and user interface, Odissé provides more direct and simpler access to indicators, enabling better understanding and reuse of these data by everyone.

These indicators are derived from surveillance systems fed by general practitioners, clinical laboratories, hospital departments, etc. They also come from surveys conducted by the agency, notably the Santé publique France Barometer.

Thus, Odissé produces benchmark indicators that enable us to observe the health status of populations, track its evolution, and anticipate health risks.

What technological advancements enable Odissé to improve data access and visualization?

An interface optimized for intuitive navigation and powerful search and export tools facilitate access, reducing technical barriers to information.

Thanks to an AI-enhanced search engine and an advanced query system, Odissé facilitates the search, consultation, and instant access to key information at various levels: national, regional, departmental, and intermunicipal.

Maps and visualizations are also available by region, with filters by territory and topic to aid in the proper understanding and interpretation of the information.

How will Odissé transform the way public health stakeholders analyze and use data?

The availability of a large volume of indicators—by year, by territory, by age group, and/or by gender—will provide a clearer picture of the population’s health status and better contextualize trends observed over time.

Odissé also includes an application programming interface (API), thereby facilitating the use, sharing, and widespread reuse of data in independent research programs.

The portal is designed for all types of users: public health researchers, health agency officials, local governments, policymakers, journalists, and the general public.

To help users get started, Santé publique France has created two instructional videos in the form of tutorials that outline two typical user journeys.