Integrating open-source technologies to build low-cost information systems for improved access to public health data

Abstract

Effective public health practice relies on the availability of public health data sources and assessment tools to convey information to investigators, practitioners, policy makers, and the general public. Emerging communication technologies on the Internet can deliver all components of the "who, what, when, and where" quartet more quickly than ever with a potentially higher level of quality and assurance, using new analysis and visualization tools. Open-source software provides the opportunity to build low-cost information systems allowing health departments with modest resources access to modern data analysis and visualization tools. In this paper, we integrate opensource technologies and public health data to create a web information system which is accessible to a wide audience through the Internet. Our web application, "EpiVue," was tested using two public health datasets from the Washington State Cancer Registry and Washington State Center for Health Statistics. A third dataset shows the extensibility and scalability of EpiVue in displaying gender-based longevity statistics over a twenty-year interval for 3,143 United States counties. In addition to providing an integrated visualization framework, EpiVue's highly interactive web environment empowers users by allowing them to upload their own geospatial public health data in either comma-separated text files or MS Excel™ spreadsheet files and visualize the geospatial datasets with Google Maps™.

Virtual globes and geospatial health: the potential of new tools in the management and control of vector-borne diseases

“…However, its functionality can be integrated with various analytical tools for spatial analysis (e.g. GIS and open source statistical packages such as R (Bivand, 2006;Yi et al, 2008) while facilitating the sharing of spatially-referenced data between international research groups, and agencies (Wood et al, 2007). We hope this paper will stimulate further exploration of virtual globe applications for spatial epidemiologists, and that this could also introduce to the broader research community the potential of recording and making accessible spatial data in appropriate formats.…”

“…The field where Google Earth™ has seen the most extensive use thus far is in the environmental sciences. However, also within the health sciences and public health-related projects in particular, the use of Google Earth™ is growing, as witnessed by the increasing number of articles published in the peer-reviewed literature (Sundvall et al, 2007;Boulos et al, 2008;East et al, 2008;Freifeld et al, 2008;Gao et al, 2008;Lefer et al, 2008;Lozano-Fuentes et al, 2008;Yi et al, 2008;Kamadjeu, 2009). One of the earliest references made to the potential of virtual globe technology for disease mapping was highlighted by Malone in 2005(Malone, 2005.…”

Integrating Volunteered Geographic Information into Pervasive Health Computing Applications

“…Emerging communication technologies on the Internet can deliver all components of the "who, what, when, and where" quartet more quickly than ever with a potentially higher level of quality and assurance, using new analysis and visualization tools. Open-source software provides the opportunity to build low-cost information systems allowing health departments with modest resources access to modern data analysis and visualization tools [18]. As public health awareness and interventions move beyond local, state and national boundaries towards a global health perspective, an increasing amount of public health data will need to be integrated and publicly accessible [18].…”

“…Open-source software provides the opportunity to build low-cost information systems allowing health departments with modest resources access to modern data analysis and visualization tools [18]. As public health awareness and interventions move beyond local, state and national boundaries towards a global health perspective, an increasing amount of public health data will need to be integrated and publicly accessible [18]. Open Health Informatics relies on the use of open interfaces so that every component of a software solution can be plugged in and out at will.…”

Open Government Data and Public Transportation

“…Public health, land use, and demographic data already support a wide range of interesting studies. For instance, one work by Yi et al (2008) describes how maps of cancer incidence and age-adjusted mortality rates can be created quickly, easily, and for free using open government data and opensource mapping tools. There are numerous studies that could be done comparing public health, land use, and demographic data to public transportation data.…”