WHO Global Health Observatory Connector
The WHO GHO Connector enables seamless integration with the World Health Organization’s Global Health Observatory API, offering access to internationally recognized health indicators and dimension data. It provides open access to global health statistics without authentication — ideal for public health dashboards, research tools, and international policy analytics.
Integration Overview
This section outlines the supported endpoints of the connector, their purpose, required configuration, and usage scenarios.
- Dimensions List Retrieval. Retrieves all available dimension codes in the WHO dataset.
- Dimension Values Retrieval. Retrieves the values associated with a specific dimension.
- Indicator List Retrieval. Retrieves all available WHO indicators with optional filtering.
- Indicator Data Retrieval. Retrieves all data associated with a specific health indicator.
Detailed Integration Documentation
Dimensions List Retrieval
| Endpoint | GET /Dimension/ |
|---|---|
| URL | https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/Dimension/ |
| Purpose | Retrieve a list of all available dimension codes in the WHO dataset. |
| Parameters | None. |
| Output | JSON array of objects with Code and Title for each dimension. |
| Workflow | Send a GET request and use the response to populate filter controls or reference selectors. |
Dimension Values Retrieval
| Endpoint | GET /DIMENSION/{dimensionCode}/DimensionValues |
|---|---|
| URL | https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/DIMENSION/{dimensionCode}/DimensionValues |
| Purpose | Retrieve values associated with a specific dimension (e.g. COUNTRY, REGION). |
| Parameters | Required: dimensionCode (path) — the dimension code to retrieve values for. |
| Output | JSON array of dimension value codes and names. |
| Workflow | Used for dynamic dropdowns, filter menus, or dimension-based segmentation. |
Indicator List Retrieval
| Endpoint | GET /Indicator |
|---|---|
| URL | https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/Indicator |
| Purpose | Retrieve all available WHO indicators, with optional filtering. |
| Parameters | Optional: $filter (query) — OData-compatible filter string for refining results. |
| Output | JSON array with IndicatorCode and IndicatorName. |
| Workflow | Populate indicator-selection fields or metadata references for analytics. |
Indicator Data Retrieval
| Endpoint | GET /{indicatorCode} |
|---|---|
| URL | https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/{indicatorCode} |
| Purpose | Retrieve all data associated with a specific WHO health indicator. |
| Parameters | Required: indicatorCode (path). Optional: $filter (query) — OData filter for dimensions (gender, date range, region). |
| Output | JSON array with IndicatorCode, Dim1, TimeDimensionBegin, TimeDimensionEnd, and Value. |
| Workflow | Display data in dashboards, trend-analysis tools, or CSV exports. |
Example Workflow: Global Health Trend Dashboard
| Metadata | Call /Dimension/ and /Indicator to get codes and definitions. |
|---|---|
| Filter selection | Use /DIMENSION/COUNTRY/DimensionValues to allow country filtering. |
| Pull data | Fetch an indicator such as WHOSIS_000001 (life expectancy) via /WHOSIS_000001?$filter=Dim1 eq ‘MLE’. |
| Visualize & refresh | Build charts using TimeDimensionBegin and Value, and refresh periodically with Cloud Scheduler + GCP Workflows. |
Use Case
A public-health research firm leverages the WHO Global Health Observatory Connector, integrated with GCP, to access global health data via the base URL (ghoapi.azureedge.net/api). Using Indicator List Retrieval and Dimension Values Retrieval, the firm retrieves metadata and country filters stored in Cloud Storage; Indicator Data Retrieval fetches data for indicators like WHOSIS_000001 (life expectancy), ingested into BigQuery. Automated refreshes via Cloud Scheduler and visualizations in Google Data Studio enable real-time global-health trend monitoring for evidence-based policy research.
For technical support, contact custom-connectors-support@isolutions.sa.