Geographic Information Systems in public health data visualization, analysis and sharing

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are advancing rapidly in both technical capabilities and usage among public health organizations.  GIS is being applied successfully to address complex public health challenges by providing a platform for data visualization, analysis and sharing. Adopting a location strategy in public health promotes collaboration, stakeholder engagement and data-driven decisions by leveraging the spatial component inherent in most datasets.  Nowadays, useful data may come from federal agencies or internal data sets derived from registries or client encounters.  Data from sensors and social media can be used along with data from commercial data providers that are often already linked and accessible within a modern GIS platform.  The integration of these data sources with GIS allows mapping and analysis capabilities to be accessed across your organization by both GIS and non-GIS users regardless of technical skills or expertise.  Users can take advantage of GIS capabilities from traditional desktop software, mobile devices, web maps or other existing software, systems and devices.  Operationally GIS can be deployed without complex development and coding that often delays implementations and results in unsustainable systems. As with most information technology, GIS can be operationalized through a variety of models ranging from a completely on-premises solution to one that leverages the Internet and cloud capabilities to meet even the most demanding security and technical requirements.  This presentation will provide a live interactive demonstration of how to fully leverage a GIS platform across your organization, coupled with real world examples of success stories from your peers.  The demonstration will cover the use of GIS to produce a story map that explains a complex health issue and the development of an intervention strategy.  Attendees will also learn how to launch a GIS open data portal. A final demonstration will show how clients can use GIS tools to locate services and community resources while an organization uses the same tool to track operations. GIS methods and tools will be explained with context and examples that will allow the attendees to take what they have learned back to their organization and be champions for the adoption of GIS technology.