HMD Explorer

An interactive Shiny web application for exploring Human Mortality Database (HMD) data using 3D surface visualizations.

Overview

HMD Explorer enables researchers and demographers to analyze mortality and population patterns across 52+ countries spanning 1750-2020. It provides interactive Lexis surface plots, sex ratio comparisons, and group comparison tools.

Features

• 3D Mortality Surfaces: Interactive Plotly visualizations of age × period mortality
• Population Pyramids: Stacked male/female population by age and year
• Sex Ratio Analysis: Male:Female mortality and population ratios
• Group Comparisons: Compare mortality patterns between countries/regions
• Life Tables: Standard demographic life table displays

Quick Start

# Run the application
shiny::runApp("hmd_explorer")

Project Structure

hmd_explorer/
├── hmd_explorer/              # Main Shiny application
│   ├── ui.R                   # User interface
│   ├── server.R               # Server logic
│   ├── global.R               # Shared configuration
│   └── data/                  # HMD data files
│
├── hmd_explorer_modularized/  # Refactored version (in progress)
├── scripts/                   # Utility scripts
├── tests/                     # Test suite
└── claude.md                  # Detailed project documentation

Data

The application uses data from the Human Mortality Database, which provides detailed mortality and population data for research purposes.

Documentation

See claude.md for detailed documentation including:

• Complete function reference
• Testing guide
• Development notes

Archive

Research documents and analysis outputs from earlier development are preserved in the archive/research-documents branch.

License

See LICENSE for details.