Online Program

294040
Harvard worldmap: A tool for visualizing and sharing hydrofracking data


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 11:10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Ann Backus, MS, Harvard School of Public Health, Room 1-1402, Harvard-NIEHS Center for Environmental Health, Boston, MA
The Harvard WorldMap , HWM, is a recently developed tool for the visualization of data from multiple sources and in multiple formats such as text, image, and geocoded formats. It is a free, open source, public domain software that incorporates GIS data into layers that can be viewed separately or in any combination in order to reveal relationships that provoke new questions and hypotheses. HWM is designed for collaboration across researchers and is especially highly suited for collaborations that are multidisciplinary. The HWM is being developed as a repository for tracking hydrofracking data of all kinds: exposure, health effects, economic impact, regulatory, water quality, NAAQS non-attainment, geological formations, proximity of wells to aquifers, etc. The value of this tool for communication to the public regarding hydrofracking locations, procedures, and issues is high, moreover it is well-suited to use by community members engaged in citizen-science and to raise awareness within the general public. The need to educate public health and health care professionals around hydrofracking is great, and this is one tool that can contribute to improved awareness of the issues and potential interventions.

Learning Areas:

Environmental health sciences
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe three features of the Harvard WorldMap. Discuss how visualization of hydrofracking locations can generate new hypotheses. Discuss how sharing details of the implications of hydrofracking can enhance awareness of public health issues.

Keyword(s): Environmental Health, Communication

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have organized and completed a 2.5 day training on the Harvard WorldMap through the Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis, am a member of a hydrofracking working group consisting of multiple NIEHS-funded collaborators, and am collecting hydrofracking data for upload to the Harvard WorldMap. The HWM is a free, open source, public domain for visualizing data.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.