Global mapping of student community health assessments using GIS

Background: The availability of online geographic information systems (GIS) creates opportunities for global learning among public health nursing students. Nursing students worldwide perform standardized community health assessments as part of their practicum experiences in public health. There is an opportunity for exponential learning when these assessments are shared with a larger community of scholars and learners. Purpose: Use GIS to create an interactive world map to digitally represent student community assessments. Methods: A prototype mapping tool was developed using Esri ArcGIS Online. We began the design process with existing student community health assessment data from the United States, New Zealand, Norway, and Turkey. A standardized instrument for comprehensive community health assessments, the Omaha System, was used for data collection. The new tool was designed to allow students to enter data directly into a GIS map from a smart-phone or computer, allowing them to visualize their data in real time in the context of other map data layers such as population data. Interview and focus group methods will be used to elicit student and faculty response to the prototype. Results: Field testing of the prototype with students is in progress through May 2013. Formative evaluation results will be shared. Samples of the resulting maps will be displayed to enable comparison of student community health assessments from different countries. Conclusions: A prototype GIS mapping tool and the Omaha System can represent standardized community health assessment data in relationship to other population data. This new medium can enable meaningful sharing of student community assessment data around the world, and foster student learning regarding the global context of health.