141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

278824
Building on solid foundations: Spatial data architecture for GIS surveillance in public health programs

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 :

Marie Lynn Miranda, PhD , Children's Environmental Health Initiative, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Michele Casper, PhD , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Joshua Tootoo, MCP, GISP , Children's Environmental Health Initiative, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Ben Strauss, MS , Children's Environmental Health Initiative, Durham, NC
Linda Schieb, MSPH , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Mei Ding, M.D., MS , Human Service and Public Health Department, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN
Jay Meehl, GISP , Hennepin County GIS Office, Minneapolis, MN
Terry Meek , Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Iowa Department of Public, Des Moines, IA
John Warming , Bureau of Information Management, Iowa Department of Public Health, Des Moines, IA
Jean Streetar , Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment, Stillwater, MN
Adam Snegosky , Washington County IT, Stillwater, MN
Background: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working collaboratively with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and the University of Michigan to enhance the capacity of state and local health departments (HDs) to leverage the benefits of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for chronic disease surveillance. Our training program provides HDs with GIS skills and tools to integrate spatial data into daily operations for the surveillance and prevention of chronic diseases. Objective: Twenty-six HDs have completed our project-based GIS training program. The ability of these HDs to incorporate GIS into their programs was enhanced when HD information technology infrastructure (ITI) was integrated with spatial data architecture. We will share the key ITI considerations that serve as a foundation for building spatial data architectures and support sustained GIS capacity. Methods: We describe HD ITI a priori and a posteriori, focusing on systems, resources, and policies. We evaluate project outcomes for each of the HDs within the context of ITI changes. Results: We find that most HDs meet minimal hardware and software system requirements for GIS applications. We describe enterprise level resources and policies that play an important role in determining the level of functionality for a group of users performing GIS computing tasks and integrating data across multiple platforms and users. We compare outcomes across state and local programs, highlighting ITI changes that improved efficiency and facilitated GIS utilization. Discussion: Spatial data architecture is built on an integrated foundation of hardware, software, data, and policies at both the individual desktop and enterprise levels. Based upon our experience with 26 HDs from across the US, several key ITI policies and practices enhance the ability of HD staff to implement spatial data architectures accessible by multiple users to access common tools, increasing the likelihood of sustained GIS capacity.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Chronic disease management and prevention
Communication and informatics
Epidemiology

Learning Objectives:
Identify key information technology infrastructure considerations for enabling spatial data architecture. Demonstrate examples of successful information technology infrastructure and GIS user group integration. Compare and contrast outcomes from different information technology infrastructure approaches to accommodate developing GIS capacity

Keywords: Information System Integration, Chronic Diseases

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Seven years’ experience in a fast-paced multidisciplinary research environment, core responsibilities/activities include: • Project management; • Coordination of spatial data acquisition, creation, and management; • Research driven spatial analyses; • Development and delivery of training and capacity building resources to meet goals for diverse set of organizations; and the • Creation of publication quality maps, graphics, and figures.
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.