Bio Trace – The Chemical Imprint

A Power BI–driven analytical project incorporating Synoptic Panel visualization to explore chemical exposure, human vulnerability, and health risk patterns. The dashboard maps high-risk compounds, affected population segments, exposure pathways, and regulatory frameworks. Using layered visuals, interactive filtering, and custom shape-based panels, it reveals the hidden imprint of everyday chemical pollution and enables intuitive risk interpretation.

Why I Built This Project

Chemicals affect us daily — through food, environment, products and industry — yet most of their impact remains unseen. I wanted to create a dashboard that helps people:

• see which chemicals pose risk,

• understand who they affect, and

• learn how exposure occurs.

This project is my way of using data analytics to bring awareness to a subject that matters, but often gets overlooked.

How I Approached It

🔹 Data Gathering

I combined multiple publicly available sources, including:

✔ Toxicology datasets

✔ Environmental risk classifications

✔ Population vulnerability studies

A key part of the dataset was built from research findings published by the University of Waterloo and Boston University, which explore:

• biological interactions of chemicals

• exposure pathways

• high-risk population categories

Their scientific frameworks helped me structure chemical–target relationships and risk mapping more accurately.

🔹 Data Preparation & Transformation

Once gathered, I:

✔ standardized chemical names

✔ categorized hazards

✔ linked chemicals to affected demographic groups

✔ mapped pathways such as occupational, consumption-based, environmental and biological routes

This resulted in a structured dataset that could be analyzed visually.

The Dashboard Story

Using Power BI, I designed:

📊 charts highlighting high-risk chemicals

🧩 relationship views linking compounds and population groups

🧭 icons and flow visuals showing exposure movement

📋 tables for in-depth review

The aim was to let anyone — technical or non-technical — explore the topic without needing scientific background.

What Insights Emerged

• Some chemical families consistently ranked as high toxicity

• Exposure doesn’t happen in one way — it moves through air, soil, food, products and occupation

• Children, pregnant women, industrial workers and economically marginal communities experience greater vulnerability

This visual evidence supports what research institutions like Boston University and Waterloo often highlight —risk is unequal and visibility is limited.

What This Project Demonstrates About My Skills

✔ Research-based dataset design

✔ Transforming academic findings into analyzable fields

✔ Data modeling & risk segmentation

✔ Power BI storytelling through visuals

✔ Communicating complex findings in simple language

This project reflects how I use analytics to explain something important, not just to display numbers.

Next Steps

Future enhancements include:

📍 Geo-mapping contamination hotspots

📍 Trend analysis over time

📍 Integration of real-world pollutant databases

📍 Predictive scoring models

Final Note

Bio Trace is a reminder that:

Data isn’t just for business — it can support awareness, research and accountability.

My hope is that this dashboard makes the invisible more visible —for people, for policy discussions, and for learning.