GIS AND PUBLIC HEALTHJeff Jones, PhD, UK College of Public Health

Overview

What is public health?

How are public health researchers applying GIS?

How are public health practitioners applying GIS?

What Is Public Health?

Medicine = treating an individual who usually is already ill or dealing with a chronic condition

Public Health = intervening with a population to prevent negative health outcomes or promote positive health

Sanitation Food Safety CDC Health Systems Immunizations Health Administration

Health Surveillance Systems Emergency Preparedness

The Beginnings of Public Health

In the 1840s Dr. John Snow, a London physician, tracked cholera deaths in the Soho neighborhood to shared use of a contaminated pump. Today we view him as the father of epidemiology.

UK College of Public Health

Offers graduate degrees (MPH, MHA, PhD, and DrPH)

Biostatistics Epidemiology Gerontology Health Behavior Health Services Management Preventative Medicine and Environmental

Health

Public Health Research and GIS Public health researchers use GIS in a variety

of ways including:

Basic locator maps for presentations Spatial analysis of disease clusters Increasing efficient linkage of patients to care

facilities Assigning clinical staff to clinics in the most

efficient manner possible Linking health outcomes to environmental factors Modeling emergency preparedness

Public Health Practice and GIS Kentucky public health agencies

regularly use GIS to show disease rates, service areas, and other data suitable for spatial presentation.

Some agencies use GIS to help them evaluate programming and other needs.

A number of public health websites now present data for states or counties in map formats.

Lead Abatement

The Kentucky Department for Public Health has done some innovative work tracking housing units in Louisville linked to repeated lead exposure in children.

The Future of GIS in Public Health Currently GIS’ capabilities are not fully

utilized in public health. GIS is primarily used to produce static maps rather than for spatial analysis or for interactive use.

GIS would likely be more widely used if ESRI offered a simpler version for basic mapping.

Thank You

Jeff Jones, PhDUK College of Public HealthJeff.Jones@uky.edu