Geographic information systems take mapping and public health to a different level.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), geographic information systems (GIS) are computer systems that allow users to gather and manipulate geographically referenced data. Analysts and planners are able to use GIS to layer data from a variety of sources and link it to a specific geographic location. In recent years, GIS has been recognized as an effective tool in public health.
Background
The goal of public health is to promote and protect the health of populations. In order to identify risk factors for injury and disease and develop appropriate interventions, public health professionals need to understand where and how people live, and how social and environmental factors impact their health. GIS applications in public health are valuable to research, planning and policy development.
Applications
GIS has been used in a variety of public health applications. According to the authors of "GIS and Public Health," GIS is useful in disease mapping, which includes the mapping of disease incidence, prevalence and outcomes. Mapping of infectious and chronic diseases helps officials determine the disease distribution, uncover temporal trends and identify at-risk populations. GIS has also been used to model environmental conditions. GIS is a valuable tool in conducting health needs assessments, and increases the ability of health planners and policy makers to make sense of enormous amounts of data.
Benefits
Public health GIS helps researchers and practitioners develop a better understanding of the factors that influence the health of a target population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of GIS in public health also allows researchers and practitioners to present information to decision-makers and stakeholders in a format that is easy to visualize and understand. GIS facilitates better information sharing and communication among stakeholders and improves decision-making. Ultimately, communities may benefit from better resource allocation, health policies and planning.
Barriers
There are barriers to the use of GIS in public health. Geographic information systems can be expensive. The cost of the hardware, software and databases can be prohibitive to smaller organizations; however, according to the WHO, the cost of the technology has decreased in recent years. There are also additional expenses related to training. Although there have been efforts to make the technology increasingly user-friendly, use of GIS in public health often requires personnel to have specialized training.
Ethical Considerations
There are ethical concerns about the use of GIS in public health. Critics are concerned that the use of GIS in public health has the potential to infringe on the privacy of individuals. As place-based data becomes increasingly localized, the possibility that individuals can be identified by the data increases. Special measures such as geographic masking should be employed to obscure potential identifiers and protect individuals and families.
Tags: public health, public health, been used, Geographic information, health applications, information systems
