APHEO GIS Interest Group

Environmental Scan

May 1, 2008
Demographics
 22 Surveys Completed

 77.3% Public Health Units

 59% Epidemiologists
 Others include Spatial Analysts, Health Analysts,
Professors

 Primary User Role

 54.5% -- Analyst/Technical
Education
 64% have a Masters in Epidemiology

 13.6% have a Bachelors in Geography

 27.3% have a Post Graduate Certificate

or Diploma in GIS
GIS Training
 41% received training in post graduate
level geospatial methods
 GIS in Public Health, Spatial Epidemiology,
Geospatial, Interpolation, Regression
Modeling, Spatial Statistics, Cluster
Analysis, Spatial Modeling, Remote Sensing
 54% received vendor specific training
 ESRI, APHEO Workshop, Intergraph Intro
to GeoMedia,
Knowledge, Application and
Experience
 Knowledge and application of GIS
 82% have at least some knowledge
 18% are very experienced
 Hands-on GIS experience
 32% are quite/very experienced
 41% have at some experience
GIS at Work
 13% -- Daily

 18% -- Weekly

 27% -- Monthly

 23% -- do not use

Analytical Methods and
Techniques
 79% --
Exploratory Data Analysis
 77% --
Geocoding Techniques
 59% --
Buffering, Vector Overlays
 32% --
Cluster Analysis, Spatial
Autocorrelation
 27% -- Raster or Grid Analysis
 27% -- Network Analysis
 27% -- Interpolation methods
 GIS Projects
 Mapping
 Census data by DA
 cases/rates of disease,
 locations of facilities
 tobacco vendors within 2 km radius of schools
 adverse water results
 Vector-Borne Surveillance (WNv, Lyme)
 Early Years EDI Data
 Emergency Medical Services Ambulance Mapping
 Beach Monitoring and Surveillance
 Inspection Boundary Re-Districting
 Boil Water Advisory Logistics
 Pandemic Planning,
 Client Distribution Mapping.
 Neighbourhood analysis
 Niday data - calculated distance traveled to delivery hospital
 Generate Ward profiles, to map reproductive and other health data by Wards
 Development of interactive mapping function for inTool
 Small area mapping of cancer risk, as well as risk assessment of the possible
relationship between environmental exposures and cancer
Software Use, Familiarity, Skill
 Software used to access/process/map
 82% ESRI (ArcGIS)
 14% Open Source GIS or Other
Software Familiarity (at Expert Intermediate Novice
least somewhat)
ArcGIS 86% 18% 32% 36%
MapInfo 46% 23% 23%
SatScan 27% 4% 27%
SAS/SAS 23% 4% 4% 18%
Mapping
Crimestat 14% 4% 23%
GeoDa 14% 4% 4% 14%
R 14% 4% 14%
SPSS 14% 4% 18%
Spatial
SPlus 14% 4% 4% 14%
WinBUGS/ 9% 18%
GeoBUGS
Implementation of OPHS and
PHAS Protocol
 Can we meet the spatial expectations presented in
the new standards/protocols?
 50% said yes, 36% said no

 Does your organization have policies and procedures

specific to the use of GIS?
 18% said yes, 68% said no

 Is there a need for standardization of spatial activities

and/or indicators?
 73% said yes, 18% said no
APHEO GIS Interest Group
 Why did you Join?
 86% -- General
 46% -- New analytical methods
 32% -- Core indicator development
 73% -- Promoting the use of GIS in public
health
 54% -- Access GIS support
APHEO GIS Interest Group
 Focus
 Standardizing processes so that there is the ability to compare
between PHU's, LHINs, etc.
 Establishing a basis level of proficiency in each organization
 Coordinate educational sessions to increase awareness, knowledge
and use of GIS in public health units
 Putting together some sort of resource list for members to access
 Analysis issues
 Skills development
 Development of spatial indicators
 Develoment of an inventory of what has been done
 Sharing of templates/worksheets that can be used by others
 Exploring potential for advanced spatial analysis
 Immediate and long-term training needs
 Methods of expanding the use of GIS in public health
APHEO GIS Interest Group
 Ideas for education topics
 Demonstration of ArcView
 Basic cartography
 Basic spatial data handling - creating geospatial databases
 Software for statistical approaches
 Geocoding , address cleaning, standardization
 Available data sources and what you can do with them
 Case studies - use of GIS in public health (local, relevant topics)
 Learning about/how to incorporate enhanced graphics
 Advanced GIS tips and tools
 Interactive mapping tools for on-line mapping
 Cluster analysis and spatial statistics
 Potential uses of GIS in infectious diseases surveillance given limitations of
low numbers and limited resource
 Interfaces with other software
 Time series and trend analysis using GIS
APHEO GIS Interest Group
 APHEO Website
 32% feel that it is VERY important to
enhance the GIS Interest Group presence

 41% feel that it is important

 23% feel that it is of moderate importance

APHEO GIS Interest Group
 Elements that should be included on the Website:
 Examples of members work
 Calendar of GIS Events, Upcoming educational sessions
 FAQs for mapping in Public Health
 Data Acquisition and Quality issues
 Links to product help sites, Presentations, PDF's, Lectures,
Reference Material Categorized, GIS Data Sources
 Portals devoted to specific areas of GIS and Public Health
 Focus on Public Health Web Mapping Applications
 Policies and procedures
 GIS-specific indicators
 Standards and Best Practices
 Contact info of expert users, so people can ask questions