The utility of geographic information systems (GIS) in rapid epidemiological assessments following weather-related disasters: Methodological issues based on the Tropical Storm Allison experience

Defining health catchment areas in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia: an example demonstrating the utility of geographical information systems

“…Kivell et al (1990) discuss an example of using GIS for health service administration and Murad (2004) has applied GIS and a network analysis module to create a catchment area of a health centre in Makkah city, Saudi Arabia, based on demand and supply of health care. GIS is particularly well-suited to this challenge because of its spatial analysis and display capabilities (Jacquez, 2004;Rosero-Bixby, 2004;Waring et al, 2005;Mobley et al, 2006). The variable size of the spatial units is an important issue in health data.…”

The effects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule on influenza research using geographical information systems

“…html). GIS technology is a tool in public health research that can help provide up-to-date graphical information about resource distribution, disease patterns, and loci of events ("hot spots") (Rogers and Randolph, 2003;Waring et al, 2005). For example, in the context of the recent H1N1 influenza pandemic, GIS could have be used to graphically match resource demand with resource supplies by overlaying a map showing the locations of all known influenza cases with a map of outpatient clinics and hospitals.…”

“…GIS technology may also help fill knowledge gaps about transmission of diseases, evolution of disease outbreaks and predicting future disease spread using computer-aided stochastic modeling and other analytical techniques. The technology has been used to track the spread of diseases, rapidly identify disease clusters and outbreaks, and examine large scale data for spatio-temporal relationships (Yasnoff and Sondik, 1999;Guerra et al, 2002;Kistermann et al, 2002;Rogers and Randolph, 2003;Waring et al, 2005).…”

Remote Sensing and Modeling of Mosquito Abundance and Habitats in Coastal Virginia, USA

“…RS/GIS facilitate emergency planning and response for incidents ranging from natural disasters to bioterrorism, and the rapid assessment of the impact of such disasters [2]. In conjunction with traditional vector surveillance and environmental monitoring, these geospatial technologies can also help with mosquito control by predicting vector abundance.…”