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PubMed2005

Geographic information system analysis of blastomycosis in northern Wisconsin, USA: waterways and soil.

Geographic information systems (GIS) are powerful tools for investigating the ecogeography of environmentally acquired infections. GIS technology was used to geocode and map cases of blastomycosis, by household, of human and dog residents of Vilas County, Wisconsin, USA. Human case households (n = 136) were from a comprehensive street address registry 1979--2001; human controls were 200 random-number selected households from 2001 county tax records. Dog cases (n = 116) were from a consecutive street address registry from a private veterinarian practice, Eagle River; dog controls were 200 random-number selected addresses from the 2001 total practice registry. Where geocoding was not available from existing maps, home sites were visited and geocoded using a handheld global positioning system (n = 61). Waterway characteristics were obtained from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources GNIS database, soil type data from the USDA. Data were analysed with chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests; cluster analysis with CrimeStat II software. A disproportionate number of human and dog cases were associated with waterways of the western Eagle River area. Human and dog cases were more commonly near waterways < 500 m elevation (more nutrient rich) (P < or =0.001 for both) and were associated with sands (prone to drought) (P < or = 0.01 for both). When the nearest waterway was a lake, case addresses were more commonly near lakes with <7.6 m maximum depth (more lake mixing) (P <0.05, humans and dogs) but mean depth, type and size of lakes did not differ from controls. Further studies are needed to clarify the nature of these associations.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Accessibility to general practitioners in rural South Australia. A case study using geographic information system technology.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the potential of GIS (geographic information system) technology and ARIA (Accessibility/Remoteness Index for Australia) as tools for medical workforce and health service planning in Australia. DESIGN: ARIA is an index of remoteness derived by measuring road distance between populated localities and service centres. A continuous variable of remoteness from 0 to 12 is generated for any location in Australia. We created a GIS, with data on location of general practitioner services in non-metropolitan South Australia derived from the database of RUMPS (Rural Undergraduate Medical Placement System), and estimated, for the 1170 populated localities in South Australia, the accessibility/inaccessibility of the 109 identified GP services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Distance from populated locality to GP services. RESULTS: Distance from populated locality to GP service ranged from 0 to 677 km (mean, 58 km). In all, 513 localities (43%) had a GP service within 20 km (for the majority this meant located within the town). However, for 173 populated localities (15%), the nearest GP service was more than 80 km away. There was a strong correlation between distance to GP service and ARIA value for each locality (0.69; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: GP services are relatively inaccessible to many rural South Australian communities. There is potential for GIS and for ARIA to contribute to rational medical workforce and health service planning. Adding measures of health need and more detailed data on types and extent of GP services provided will allow more sophisticated planning.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMed2004

Considerations for using a geographic information system to assess environmental supports for physical activity.

The use of a geographic information system (GIS) to study environmental supports for physical activity raises several issues, including acquisition and development, quality, and analysis. We recommend to public health professionals interested in using GIS that they investigate available data, plan for data development where none exists, ensure the availability of trained personnel and sufficient time, and consider issues such as data quality, analyses, and confidentiality. This article shares information about data-related issues that we encountered when using GIS to validate responses to a questionnaire about environmental supports for physical activity.

Crime↗
PubMed2003

The application of geographic information systems and global positioning systems in humanitarian emergencies: lessons learned, programme implications and future research.

Geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems and remote sensing have been increasingly used in public health settings since the 1990s, but application of these methods in humanitarian emergencies has been less documented. Recent areas of application of GIS methods in humanitarian emergencies include hazard, vulnerability, and risk assessments; rapid assessment and survey methods; disease distribution and outbreak investigations; planning and implementation of health information systems; data and programme integration; and programme monitoring and evaluation. The main use of GIS in these areas is to provide maps for decision-making and advocacy, which allow overlaying types of information that may not normally be linked. GIS is also used to improve data collection in the field (for example, for rapid health assessments or mortality surveys). Development of GIS methods requires further research. Although GIS methods may save resources and reduce error, initial investment in equipment and capacity building may be substantial. Especially in humanitarian emergencies, equipment and methodologies must be practical and appropriate for field use. Add-on software to process GIS data needs to be developed and modified. As equipment becomes more user-friendly and costs decrease, GIS will become more of a routine tool for humanitarian aid organisations in humanitarian emergencies, and new and innovative uses will evolve.

Altruism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Remote sensing and geographic information systems: charting Sin Nombre virus infections in deer mice.

We tested environmental data from remote sensing and geographic information system maps as indicators of Sin Nombre virus (SNV) infections in deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) populations in the Walker River Basin, Nevada and California. We determined by serologic testing the presence of SNV infections in deer mice from 144 field sites. We used remote sensing and geographic information systems data to characterize the vegetation type and density, elevation, slope, and hydrologic features of each site. The data retroactively predicted infection status of deer mice with up to 80% accuracy. If models of SNV temporal dynamics can be integrated with baseline spatial models, human risk for infection may be assessed with reasonable accuracy.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Geographical Information Systems and on-line GIServices for health data sharing and management.

Integrating Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology and public health experience may represent a solution for a better comprehension of spatial and temporal trends of phenomena. Useful applications can be built that support practitioners in their daily tasks, from risk assessment to prevention programmes. Also, making available data on the Internet through GIServices represents an important goal. Institutions and public health practitioners may benefit from the technological integration of GIS, the Web, handheld and mobile global positioning systems (GPS) devices. Expert users may be supported in deriving thematic maps which represent a spatial synthesis documentation starting from an analytic study expressed in terms of numbers and features. In this paper we show an example of an on-line data sharing and processing application, emphasizing ways GIS can provide added value to health research and management.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Using geographic information systems to evaluate cardiac arrest survival.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cardiac arrest survival using geographical information systems (GIS) methodology. METHODS: Patient data were obtained from a fire district Utstein-style adult cardiac arrest registry that also included address data. All incident locations were geocoded and fire station first-due areas were mapped by using the new computer-aided dispatch geographic data. Retrospective assignment of first-due versus second-due fire response unit was done by using a GIS "point-in-polygon" algorithm Survival to hospital admission was the primary outcome measure for incidents responded to by first-due versus second-due apparatus controlling for other potential predictors of survival using logistic regression. Cluster analysis was also performed to evaluate potential areas of high or low rates of survival. RESULTS: There were 461 eligible patients with an average age of 67+/-17 years, 63% were male, 53% had a witnessed arrest, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 38%, bystander automatic external defibrillator (AED) Page: 1 was used in 0.01%, ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia were the presenting rhythms in 44%, the average response time was 5.5+/-2.1 minutes, and survival to hospital admission was 17%. There was no significant difference in response time between survivors (4.97 minutes) and non-survivors (5.52 minutes), (difference 0.55 minutes, 95%CI -0.08 to 1.18 min). The number of cardiac arrest calls varied from 1 to 49 for each station and the rate of second-due response varied from 0 to 19%. There was a nonsignificant association of survival to hospital admission for the first-due area cohort: odds ratio 0.70, 95% CI 0.38-1.29. CONCLUSION: GIS is a new methodology for analyzing EMS incident data. It adds a spatial component of analysis to traditional statistical techniques. No spatial difference was found on patient survival in this analysis.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Role of geographic information systems in birth defects surveillance and research.

BACKGROUND: With the significant advancement of geographic information systems (GIS), mapping and evaluating the spatial distribution of health events has become easier. We examine the role of GIS in birth defects surveillance and research. METHODS: We briefly describe the geocoding process and potential problems in accuracy of the obtained geocodes, and some of the capabilities and limitations of GIS. We illustrate how GIS has been applied using the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program geocoded dataset. We provide some comments on potential data quality and confidentiality issues with birth defects in relation to GIS. RESULTS: It is desirable to geocode addresses using a multistrategy approach to achieve a high-quality and accurate GIS dataset. Beyond the basic but important function of mapping, sophisticated statistical approaches and software are available to analyze the spatial or spatial-temporal occurrence of birth defects, alone or in association with environmental hazards, and to present this information without compromising the confidentiality of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend a broad and systematic use of GIS in birth defects spatial surveillance and research.

Congenital Abnormalities↗
PubMed2005

Using remote sensing and geographic information systems to identify villages at high risk for rhodesiense sleeping sickness in Uganda.

Geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing were used to identify villages at high risk for sleeping sickness, as defined by reported incidence. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) satellite data were classified to obtain a map of land cover, and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Landsat band 5 were derived as unclassified measures of vegetation density and soil moisture, respectively. GIS functions were used to determine the areas of land cover types and mean NDVI and band 5 values within 1.5 km radii of 389 villages where sleeping sickness incidence had been estimated. Analysis using backward binary logistic regression found proximity to swampland and low population density to be predictive of reported sleeping sickness presence, with distance to the sleeping sickness hospital as an important confounding variable. These findings demonstrate the potential of remote sensing and GIS to characterize village-level risk of sleeping sickness in endemic regions.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Geographic information systems (GIS): new perspectives in understanding human health and environmental relationships.

Geographic information systems (GIS) and digital computer technology will advance the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to protect public health. Geographic positioning, topology, and planar and surface measurements are basic GIS properties which enable highly precise locational referencing of spatial phenomena. The growing uses of remotely sensed imagery and satellite facilitated global positioning systems are contributing to unprecedented surveillance of the environment and greater understanding of known and suspected environmental disease associations with human and animal health. Earth science and public health monitoring GIS databases offer new analytic opportunities for disease assessment and prevention.

CD-ROM↗
PubMed2001

[New tools for the study of animal trypanosomiasis in the Sudan: model-building of dangerous epidemiological passage by remote sensing geographic information systems].

Recent studies in a rangeland area of Burkina Faso showed that riparian tsetse flies (Glossina tachinoides and G. palpalis gambiensis) were found along the main rivers, but depending on their location, they had different hosts and were not infected by the same trypanosomoses. There were different epidemiological situations within a distance of a few kilometres, and local assessment of the trypanosome risk thus called for a global approach taking account of the environmental and human factors involved in the interfaces between hosts and vectors. Various types of information concerning entomology, parasitology, ecology, land occupation and animal production systems were fed into a Geographical Information System. High spatial resolution remote sensing tools and original modelling methods were used to detect the valley landscapes most favourable to tsetse flies, and describe land use by herds. The impact of trypanosomes appeared to depend largely on animal movements, watering practices and the degree of contact with riparian tsetse flies. Linking these types of information revealed the most dangerous sites in epidemiological terms, which in this case represented some 18% of the network initially surveyed.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

SIGNe: A Geographic Information System on the Web for End-Stage Renal Disease.

A Web-based Geographic Information System (Web-GIS), the SIGNe (Système d'Information Géographique pour la Néphrologie), was designed for the Renal Epidemiology and Information Network (REIN) dedicated to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). This Web-GIS was coupled to a data warehouse and embedded in an n-tier architecture designed as the Multi-Source Information System (MSIS). It allows to access views of ESRD concerning the epidemiology of the demand and the supply of care. It also provides maps matching the offer of care to the demand. It is presented with insights on the design and underlying technologies. It is dedicated to professionals and to public health care decision-makers in the domain of ESRD.

Geographic Information Systems↗
PubMed2004

A geographic information systems model for mapping risk of fasciolosis in cattle and buffaloes in Cambodia.

A geographic information systems (GIS) model for mapping the risk of fasciolosis in cattle and buffaloes was developed for the Kingdom of Cambodia using determinants of inundation, proximity to rivers, land use, slope, elevation, and the density of cattle and buffaloes. Determinants were subjectively weighted according to their perceived relative importance before combining them to produce a risk-map of fasciolosis. The model estimates that 28% of Cambodia is potentially at risk of fasciolosis with areas of high and moderate risk concentrated in southern and central Cambodia. The estimates of risk reflect the actual prevalence of fasciolosis in most districts surveyed, suggesting that the epidemiological determinants and weightings used to produce the model were appropriate. These results will be progressively refined as more detailed field surveys are completed to fully validate the model.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Use of geographic information systems for assessing groundwater pollution potential by pesticides in Central Thailand.

This study employed geographic information systems (GIS) technology to evaluate the vulnerability of groundwater to pesticide pollution in Thailand. The study area included three provinces, Kanchana Buri, Ratcha Buri, and Suphan Buri, located in west-central Thailand. Factors used for the vulnerability assessment included soil texture, slope, land use, well depth, and rainfall. These vulnerability factors were reclassified to a common scale, and a weighted average was computed to yield a vulnerability score. Vulnerability factors and weights were assigned considering pesticide concentrations in 90 wells throughout the study area. Well depth was the most significant vulnerability factor. Groundwater vulnerability maps were generated for several pesticides. The eastern, agricultural part of the study area has relatively deep wells and fine soils. Shallow wells are present in the mountainous west; however, fewer pesticides are applied in that region. Consequently, much of the study area had a medium groundwater vulnerability rating, although there were pockets of high vulnerability, for example, in agricultural areas with shallow wells. The groundwater vulnerability maps are effective for identifying locations warranting more detailed groundwater pollution and vulnerability investigations.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2005

Solutions for characterising natural landscapes in New Zealand using geographical information systems.

This paper explores solutions for characterising naturalness in relation to visual landscapes using Geographical Information System (GIS). It is argued that planners need to identify natural landscapes and monitor changes in their extent. Just like the indices that have been developed to describe the state of the economy, indices need to be developed that monitor the state of natural landscapes. The complications in characterising natural landscapes are outlined but it is argued that there is a need to develop definitions of natural landscapes that can be operationalised with a GIS. This will have the advantages of the efficiency of the technology and that the definition will be explicit and the implementation will be independent of the operator. Several GIS solutions are provided and these are an analysis of landcover, a density analysis of roads and utilities, and an analysis of property sizes. The analysis of property sizes is sensitive to many human modifications of the landscape because many developments begin with the subdivision of properties. However, it is argued in this paper that no one definition will suffice and that all three methods provide different, yet important, insights into natural landscape character. An aggregate classification of naturalness based on the majority value of the indices is demonstrated as well as a range of techniques for expressing the uncertainty of the aggregate classification.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Geographical Information Systems and canine faecal contamination: the experience in the city of Naples (southern Italy).

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used to make transect sampling when non-moving objects are to be counted, involving choosing a line or series of lines along which the counts are to take place. This approach has been used by us in order to study canine faecal contamination in the city of Naples (southern Italy), and to evaluate the consequent presence of canine parasitic elements. A GIS was constructed utilizing the geo-referenced digital photographs and the cadastral maps of Naples. In order to uniformly evaluate the canine faecal contamination throughout the city, a grid representing sub-areas of 1 km x 700 m was overlaid on the city map within the GIS. The territory of Naples was divided in 218 equal, rectangular sub-areas. In each sub-area a 1 km transect was drawn, and digitalized on-screen in the GIS. Canine faeces (copros in Greek) were counted along the transects in 143 sub-areas. In these sub-areas, 415 copros were collected and examined. Out of the 143 sub-areas, 141 contained canine copros. The results of the negative binomial regression model showed a positive association between the number of copros and the human population density. Out of the total of 415 copros, 70 (16.9%) were positive for parasitic elements; eggs of Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Ancylostoma caninum and Trichuris vulpis were found, as well as oocysts of Isospora canis.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

A geographic information system forecast model for strategic control of fasciolosis in Ethiopia.

A geographic information system (GIS) forecast model based on moisture and thermal regime was developed to assess the risk of Fasciola hepatica, a temperate species, and its tropical counterpart, Fasciola gigantica, in Ethiopia. Agroecological map zones and corresponding environmental features that control the distribution and abundance of the disease and its snail intermediate hosts were imported from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Crop Production System Zones (CPSZ) database on east Africa and used to construct a GIS using ATLAS GIS 3.0 software. Base temperatures of 10 degrees C and 16 degrees C were used for F. hepatica and F. gigantica, respectively, to calculate growing degree days in a previously developed climate forecast system that was modified to allow use of monthly climate data values. The model was validated by comparison of risk indices and environmental features to available survey data on fasciolosis. Monthly Fasciola risk indices of four climatic regions in Ethiopia were used to project infection transmission patterns under varying climatic conditions and strategic chemotherapeutic fasciolosis control schemes. Varying degrees of F. hepatica risk occurred in most parts of the country and distinct regional F. hepatica transmission patterns could be identified. In the humid west, cercariae-shedding was predicted to occur from May to October. In the south it occurred from April to May and September to October, depending on the annual abundance of rain. In the north-central and central regions, risk was highest during heavy summer rains and pasture contamination with metacercariae was predicted to occur during August-September, except in wet years, when it may start as early as July and extend up to October. At cooler sites above altitude of 2800 m, completion of an infection cycle may require more than a year. Fasciola gigantica risk was present in the western, southern and north-central regions of the country at altitudes of 1440-2560 m. However, a transmission cycle could be completed in a single year only at elevations below 1700 m. The greatest risk of F. gigantica infection was in the humid western region. Regional strategic chemotherapy schemes of two or three treatments per year were developed. Results suggest that the model can be extrapolated to all CPSZ in the country and adapted for use in control of other vector-borne diseases of economic and public health importance.

Animals↗