GIS to support healthy communities and open portals for health data

Background: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become a central tool in Public Health to collect, analyze, visualize and report health information. With the push towards government transparency, open data and stakeholder involvement GIS has an even larger role to play in the health enterprise.

Objectives and Purpose:  Attendees will be able to explain and identify some of the current GIS data, tools and methods available for both desktop and web environments. The benefits of employing GIS to address public health issues and address complex reporting requirements and workflows that involve varied stakeholders and mandates will be explained and put into context so that attendees can identify and evaluate potential GIS solutions for their organization.

Methods: Demonstrations of current technology will be provided along with best practice implementations for all levels of government and the commercial health industry.  Public health data will be transformed from a simple stand-alone non-spatial table to a robust geographic resource that can be integrated with other data, analyzed and leveraged throughout an organization and to the public with little additional effort. Pressing issues such as healthcare reform, adequacy of care, disease management and overall population health will be featured with real-world case study examples and implementations.

Results: Leveraging GIS throughout a public health organization can break down existing silos and serve as an essential tool for collaboration and stakeholder engagement and education.  Grant and reporting requirements can be addressed while providing the data and tools staff need to make data driven decisions that consider multiple factors related to the social and cultural determinants of health and the increasingly complex and integrated public health landscape.  

Discussion/Conclusion: GIS is one of many tools in the current public health professional’s arsenal that if leveraged properly can help to address multiple core functions and services while increasing transparency and fostering efficiency throughout and enterprise.  This efficiency comes from staff having access to the data, tools and expertise that exists in any organization and is a byproduct of having subject matter experts opening up data to widest possible audience in an appropriate context.