In this assignment, we are building an interactive dashboard to explore the Belly Button Biodiversity dataset, which catalogs the microbes that colonize human navels.
The dataset reveals that a small handful of microbial species (also called operational taxonomic units, or OTUs, in the study) were present in more than 70% of people, while the rest were relatively rare.
This project visualizes the microbial diversity found in human belly buttons using data from the Belly Button Biodiversity project. The dashboard allows users to explore data on bacteria cultures present in different individuals, presenting the top 10 most prevalent bacterial cultures and detailed demographic information.
Users can interact with the dashboard by selecting a sample ID from the dropdown menu to view bar charts, bubble charts, and individual metadata.
You can view the live deployed version of the Belly Button Biodiversity Dashboard here.
- Interactive Bar Chart: Displays the top 10 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) for each individual sample, showing the most prevalent bacteria in a clear, visual way.
- Bubble Chart: Visualizes the full bacterial composition for the selected individual, using bubble size to represent the quantity of each OTU & color to differentiate between OTUs.
- Demographic Panel: Provides detailed demographic information, such as age, gender, and ethnicity for each individual sample.
The Belly Button Biodiversity Dashboard provides a dynamic way to explore microbial ecosystems in humans. By visualizing bacterial cultures and demographic data, the dashboard offers insights into the diversity of bacteria in different individuals. This project demonstrates how interactive visualizations can help make complex biological data more accessible and engaging.
Through this project, I learned how to work with JSON data, create interactive visualizations using Plotly, and deploy a dashboard using GitHub Pages.
UCB Starter Files, Belly Button Biodiversity, and troubleshooting with ChatGPT and GitHub CoPilot inside Visual Studio Code.