Sage-Tips

Do epidemiologists use GIS?

Place is one of the basic tenets of a field investigation. Geographic information science, systems, software (collectively known as GIS) and methods are one of the tools epidemiologists use in defining and evaluating the where. …

Why is GIS important in epidemiology?

Basic and analytical applications of GIS in epidemiology can help in visualizing and analyzing geographic distribution of diseases through time, thus revealing spatio-temporal trends, patterns, and relationships that would be more difficult or obscure to discover in tabular or other formats.

Can you learn GIS on your own?

There are some options for self-guided GIS learning. Many U.S. public libraries have a subscription to Lynda.com, a subscription-based site that provides online tutorials. Check with your local library to see if they have a subscription, providing you with free access to this site’s GIS tutorials.

How does the CDC use GIS?

People collect data, develop procedures, identify research questions and define analysis tasks to run in GIS. In public health, people use GIS to explore a variety of topics. For example, researchers at CDC have used GIS to identify how to target polio immunization campaigns in geographically isolated locations.

How does GIS help in preventing epidemic?

Public health officials using GIS can monitor the progression of the disease against what the available resources are, and can quantify how effective the medical response will be. This allows them to give priority resources for those vulnerable areas to prevent and control outbreaks as much as possible.

Can GIS be used for disease control?

GIS can aid in planning disease surveillance activities and reduce costs associated with clinical and public health interventions by predicting outcomes before financial commitments are made. GIS can also aid in prioritizing the allocation of resources.

Why is mapping important?

Maps represent the real world on a much smaller scale. They help you travel from one location to another. They help you organize information. They help you figure out where you are and how to get where you want to go.

What are the applications of GIS in epidemiology?

Existing Applications of GIS in Epidemiology. GIS enabled researchers to locate high prevalence areas and populations at risk, identify areas in need of resources, and make decisions on resource allocation (16). Epidemiologic data showed a marked reduction in prevalence in villages where pumps were introduced.

How can epidemiologists prepare for field investigations?

The urgency of most field investigations requires that the epidemiologist act quickly but thoughtfully. An important and potentially time-saving step is to review prior epidemiologic investigations of similar illnesses and, whenever possible, use or adapt existing protocols, including standard data collection approaches and case definitions.

How can Gogis help with epidemiology?

GIS can assist in generating data for input to epidemiologic models, displaying the results of statistical analysis, and modeling processes that occur over space. The first two points are evident in recent, regression-based analyses of disease risk, such as the study of Lyme disease (7).

What is GIS (Geographic Information Science)?

Using geographic information science, systems, or software (collectively known as GIS), boundaries can be drawn for the area of interest and from which specific GIS data files, known as shapefiles, can be created (2,4,5).