Health Program Planning

Abstract

Geographic information system (GIS) technology is a computerized system that is capable of storing, manipulating, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information. This system is comprised of a complex assemblage of hardware, software, data, people, and organizational and institutional arrangements (Dueker & Kjerne, 1989). The goal here is to provide a brief introduction to the fundamental principles and concepts of GIS, some applications and policy implications, and speculations of the future development of GIS. In this paper, we try to focus on the Health planning programs. The paper will going to provide information regarding Health planning could be implemented using GIS information systems.

GIS has evolved from a variety of fields including geography and cartography, land use planning, census administration, computer science, remote sensing, geodesy, and the military (Pavlovskaya, 2009). In particular, the method of overlaying several map layers introduced by Ian McHarg in the early 1960s has been seen as a fundamental methodology of GIS operations, in which McHarg manually overlaid multiple layers to identify an optimal route for a highway development with least destructions to the existing land use. It is widely recognized that the first GIS is the Canadian Geographical Information System (CGIS) developed by Roger Tomlinson in the mid-1960s for land management in Canada. Parallel developments in the United States and United Kingdom have also significantly shaped later GIS development. For example, the Harvard Graphics Laboratory developed ODYSSY software, which was the foundation of the later ArcGIS development. The 1970s and the 1980s saw significant developments of software and hardware and increasing usage of GIS.

Table of Content

Abstract2

Introduction4

Literature Review8

Surveillance Systems and Emergency Management9

Cartographic Visualization9

Pattern Analysis9

Early Warning and Prediction Systems10

Adoption of Critical Perspectives in Health and GIS11

GIS Applications in health planning12

Sitting of Wind Turbines13

Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Tuberculosis Disease14

The Value Densification Community Mapping Project (VDCmp)16

GIS Implementation18

Methodology22

Discussion22

Principles and Theories of GIS in Health Planning22

Data Representation and Data Model22

Database Structures and Management25

Conclusion27

References28

Health Planning Implemented Using GIS Information Systems

Introduction

Planning is an increasingly important and challenging aspect of public health activity and is necessary to ensure effective outcomes, make best use of limited resources and provide accountability. Planning supports management of existing and anticipated threats to public health (coronary heart disease, depression, obesity), as well as extreme and unexpected situations (natural disasters, terrorism, pandemics). Plans address what you are trying to achieve, what you are going to do and how you will know if it has been successful (Ewles and Simnett, 2003). Public health planning has traditionally been approached as a form of rational decision-making (Lenihan, 2005) - a series of decisions, from general and strategic decisions to specific operational details, based on the gathering and analysis of a wide range of information (Health Communication Unit, 2007). Essentially a problem, need or priority is defined, possible solutions are proposed, the best course of action is decided on the basis of a range of factors including evidence and resources, the action is implemented and processes and outcomes are monitored and evaluated. Elements which should/could be part of public health planning include:

underpinning purpose, ...