2. Introduction
Terms, Definition(s) and Concepts
Related Technologies
History
Applications and Advantages
Basic Techniques
Way Forward
Proposed GIS Health layer for Sri Lanka
Conclusion
Outline
3. Introduction
Location matters...
Concept that location can influence health is a very
old one in medicine
Physicians observed that certain diseases tend to
occur in some places and not others (Hippocrates
time -3rd Century B.C)
Different locations on Earth are usually associated
with different profiles: physical, biological,
environmental, economic, social, cultural , etc
These profiles and associated health and disease
conditions may also change with time (the
longitudinal or temporal dimension)
4. Few Important words…
Geography -
Is the science of place and space
Involves of study of spatial phenomena of all kinds
Spatial -
All the things exists somewhere in space
Geospatial -
Refers to the data and technology that allow one to
explore Geographic problems Eg. Geospatial
information, Geospatial systems
Introduction…
5. Introduction…
Few Important words…
Health/Medical Geography –
How disease and health care are distributed spatially
Geography of Disease –
Exploration, description and modeling of the spatio-temporal
(space-time) incidence of disease and related environmental
phenomena, the detection and analysis of disease clusters and
patterns, causality analysis and the generation of new disease
hypotheses
Geography of Healthcare Systems –
The planning, management and delivery of suitable health
services
6. Introduction…
Few Important words…
Information System –
An integrated set of components for collecting, storing,
and processing data for delivering information i.e.
Hardware, Software and Human resource
What is Geographic Information System (GIS) ?
Is an information system
This is special system where data/information is
associated with location (Geographical reference)
What is Health GIS ?
8. Introduction…
Few Important concepts…
Earth is round (sphere ) and maps are flat!
Map projections (Point in 3D to point in 2D)
To locate an object in space we need a reference system
Geographic coordinate system
Latitude - Provide North/South parallels
+/- 90 degrees from the equator
Longitude - Provide East/West meridians
+/- 180 degrees from prime meridian
Expressed in either decimal degrees or degrees, minutes and
seconds
2D3D
9. Few Important concepts…
Types of Maps
1. Reference (Base) maps
Provide basic geographic context requires to locate
other features
Use as back drops
Eg. District layer, Road layer, Water bodies
2. Thematic (Heat) maps
To showcase geographic data observations
Associated with story telling (eg. Places of dengue
cases, old aged people)
Use to formulate hypothesis
Introduction…
10. Related Technologies
•Remote Sensing
• Acquisition of information about an object or
phenomenon without making physical contact with the
object
• Satellite, Radar, etc.
11. Related Technologies…
•Global Positioning System(GPS)
• Is a space-based satellite navigation system that
provides location and time
• It should be Global Navigation Satellite System
(GNSS)
• GLONASS (By Russia), GALLILIO (By EU)
13. History
•Mid 19th century physician with a big
interest in public health
•He often made use of maps to illustrate
public health problems
•In September 1854 he became aware of
a cholera outbreak in the Soho district of
London(taken nearly six hundred lives )
•Dr. Snow began by mapping(hand drawn)
the incidence of the disease in the area
Dr.John Snow
(1813-1858)
• Snow could see that the cases occurred almost entirely
among those who lived near the Broad Street water
pump
14. History…
• In this map that cholera deaths were not
confined to the area around a cemetery of
plague
15. History…
•Snow recommended that the handle of sewage
contaminated water pump (from lower Themes river)be
removed, and this simple action stopped the outbreak
•Also proved his theory that cholera is transmitted
through contaminated drinking water(thus convinced
that the infection was not due to vapours coming from
Plague cemetery as they first thought)
•By using a map to examine the geographical (spatial)
locations of cholera cases in relation to other features
on the map (water pumps and cemetery of plague
victims), Snow has actually performed what is now
known as spatial analysis!
16. Applications
•Public Health and Research
• Epidemiology of Diseases (Forecasting, Surveillance)
• Risk Mapping, etc.
•Administration(Health Care Services)
• Resource Management (Spatial Inventories, etc)
• Decision Making
• Policy Making
•Other
• Environmental Health Management
17. Advantages
•Workflow and productivity improvement - ? in Health
•Build up a reference information base – GIS Health Layer
for Sri Lanka
•Efficiency Improvement
•Decision Making support
•Performance and account making support
•Generation of revenue
•Social Content
18. Basic Techniques
•System Life Cycle
GIS
System
Plan
Acquire Data
Document Data
Update Data
Preserve Data
Make Maps
Staff Training
Analyze Data
Distribute Data
Output
19. •Geometric Data Models
• Vector - Method of representing geographic features
by the basic graphical elements of points, lines and
polygon
• Raster- Tesselation of a surface (process to cover a
surface through the repeated use of a single shape i.e
pixel)
Basic Techniques…
20. Basic Techniques…
• Spatial Analysis
• Geographic science uses a wide range of
analytical techniques to take measurements,
make comparisons, and detect anomalies
• Techniques:
• Overlay
• Buffering
• Surface Analysis and Interpolation (i.e. Heat
maps)
• Cluster Detection
21. Basic Techniques…
•Overlay –
• The most basic spatial analysis method
• Put this on top of that and see what happens
•Buffering –
• Identifies areas of interest around a location based on
distance or time
• eg: Flight range of Dengue Mosquito
•Surface Analysis and Interpolation –
• When you have lots of individual observations and you
want to make an overall map that shows trends
(Interpolation is necessary to make estimates where you
have gaps in coverage)
22. Basic Techniques…
•Symbolization –
• Symbolization can emphasize a visual connection to a
real feature, or can be very abstract
• Symbols are used to graphically manipulate to explain
data such as points, lines and polygons
• Eg:
• Point symbols
• Proportional/Graduated Symbols
• Multivariate Symbols
24. Way Forward
•Health GIS layer for Sri Lanka
• Do we need it ?
• Need to initiate with proper planning and coordination
• Need to cover the all aspects
•GIS Coordination Unit at Central Level
• Decentralized units
• For effective Data Management (Collection, Store, Updating, etc)
•Proposed Sub Levels
• Preventive Health (Public Health) layer(s)
• Curative Health layer(s)
• Administrative layer(s)
• Other health related layer(s)
25. Conclusion
Introduction
Terms, Definition(s) and Concepts
Related Technologies
History
Applications and Advantages
Basic Techniques
Way Forward
Proposed GIS Health layer for Sri Lanka
Conclusion
26. Conclusion
GIS (in Health) is
An information system (Hardware, Software and
(Health) Data)
Which enables to apply lots of analysis models
To any geographical data sets
Generating derived information
Can be visualized as maps
What is an Information system ?
An integrated set of components for collecting, storing, and processing data for delivering information
So what is GIS or Geographic Information System ?
A special information system where data/information is associated with location or Geographical reference
Then what is Health GIS ?
GIS deals with Health related data