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Module 5

Use of GIS in Public Health

October 2004
2005 ESRI GIS Health Conference
October 23 – 26, Chicago IL
http://www.esri.com/events/hug/index.html

 

Many governmental agencies now use a GIS either internally to interpret and analyze their data, or to visualize and explain this information to the public. The use of GIS in public health will greatly increase in the future.

ATSDR

Together with the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), ATSDR publishes a free, bimonthly online-newsletter " Public Health GIS News and Information".

ATSDR's powerful GIS application for mapping Environmental and health data related to HWS is called Geographic Analysis Tool for Health and Environmental Research, or GATHER. Take some time in finding out what information is available in GATHER.

  • For an example of a specific map, look up the map library: Kelly Airforce Base - Health outcome data and/or
  • Type in the left hand side the EPA Facility ID: DED980555122 On the legend on the left side of the map, click/check the population density button, and click on the blue globe in the lower left corner.
  • Open the "Demographic Map": click on the link just above the map.
  • What is the population density for children aged 6 and under?

After identifying a site and its demographic surrounding, we should look to find more about the chemicals present (see previous modules as well!): ATSDR's HazDat database is a start.

CDC

CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), operates its own website on GIS and Public Health - a great resource to start looking for GIS data on the web.

Check out the NCHS website for GIS and Public Health web links: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/
gis/gis_links.htm .

EPA

EPA's giant EnviroFact data warehouse allows many types of searches on select EPA databases. EPA has greatly improved its EnviroMapper, a great wealth of information is now readily available in a mapping format. "Window to my Environment " and a special map application dedicated to "Environmental Justice" provide excellend information on HWSs and their surroundings. One link from the EM goes to the Brownfields page from EPA. Brownfields are urban abandoned or underused waste sites, which have received more and more interest from EPA and the government in the past years (tax incentives for cleanup and development!).

Use the EnviroMapper!

Is there a Superfund site in Manhattan? (Hudson River does not count here) If so, identify it; if not, identify the Superfund site closest to Manhattan.

After you obtained a map of the ZIP code you chose, click on the “Add a background” button on the lower right; select “aerial photo”. Next, on the top left of the screen click on the “+” of “Regulated Sites”; select all of the empty squares. Redraw.

I strongly encourage you to become familiar with the information available in the EnviroMapper – it is a very useful tool (not only for course assignments).

The EnviroMapper is a useful tool to find and identify features that surround a NPL site of interest (schools, hospitals, other discharges into the environment, etc.) . Sometimes a click on the identified site give access to more detailed information!

TRI-explorer

"The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities reported annually by certain covered industry groups as well as federal facilities. This inventory was established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and expanded by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990." (source: http://www.epa.gov/tri/)

In May 2005 EPA released the data for 2003 emissions, as reported in the TRI. Use the TRI explorer (http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/) and read the "Hints for First Time Users".

Releases of cadmium and chromium compounds in Los Angeles County

Select the following settings for the report:

Type of Report: Release Report;
Select "Chemical" in the report groupings;
Year of data: 2003;
Geographic Location: California;
Select from list of counties: Los Angeles;
"Chemicals released” highlight: “select specific chemical (s)";
In the pop-up window scroll down and highlight "cadmium compounds" and "chromium compounds" (they should appear in the box on the right);
Click "done";
Industry: all industries;
Click: generate report.

Consider the results: known fugitive air emissions of chromium in the urban environment; underground injection of chromium wastes into Class I wells (potential PH impact of underground injection wells could be an interesting topic for a termpaper!); onsite- vs. off-site management of wastes; large volumes of Chromium wastes vs. cadmium wastes.

You can also display time trends of chemical releases over time, but comparing data from year to year is somewhat limited, since the way the data was collected changed over time.

Census Bureau

The census bureau's American FactFinder gives access to mapped information on the Census 2000. Information on Census definitions etc. is available here.

Scorecard

A very nice web application from the not-for-profit organization Environmental Defense. Scorecard uses governmental and other information sources and is aimed to educate and inform the interested public.

Find the maps for the population density of New York State in 2000 and 1990! What difference do you find in the maps?

 

Module 5

  1. Introduction
  2. Tutorial/review of GIS
  3. Use of GIS in Public Health
  4. More Internet Resources
  5. Review Questions