1. health and fitness

Presented at the NCGIS Conference, Raleigh, NC 2015
by:
David Toren
MapForsyth
Discussion Points
 Who/what is MapForsyth?
 GIS in Public Health
 Epidemiology
 Public Assistance
 Crowdsourcing
 Methods and Technologies used for creation and distribution of GIS
information
 Resources
Who/What is MapForsyth?
 An Enterprise Geographic Information Office – established in 2011
 Result of Countywide GIS Needs Assessment and Strategic Implementation Plan (completed in
2009)
 The goal of this initiative was to identify a strategy for improving business processes using GIS
technology
 This strategy consist of sharing resources/assets, collaboration between the departments of the
municipal governments and the county government
 Implement a shared system between Forsyth County, the City of Winston-Salem and all of the
other municipal governments within the county
GIS in Public Health
 Epidemiology
 Studies the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in
defined populations.
 The cornerstone of public health.
 Informs policy decisions by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for
preventive healthcare.
GIS in Public Health
London Cholera Epidemic of 1854
John Snow
(1813-1858)
Wake Forest University Translational Science Institute
Gun Violence as a Health Disparity
(https://brsa.wakehealth.edu/community/what-we-do/gun-violence-as-a-health-disparity)
“MapForsyth has supported several projects of the
Program in Community Engagement at the Wake
Forest medical school. Their use of GIS documented the
association of gun violence with other health and social
disparities in specific Winston-Salem neighborhoods. No
other approach could provide this stark portrayal with
such power. The ability of GIS to provide visual
illustration of health and social issues lays an important
foundation for planning and intervention.”
Thomas A. Arcury, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Family and Community
Medicine Director, Program in Community Engagement, Wake Forest University
Translational Science Institute Director, Center for Worker Heath Wake Forest
School of Medicine
Distressed Area Analysis
 Social Services Variables
 Adult Medicaid
 Child Medicaid
 Food Stamps
 Day Care Program
 Work First Program
 Property Variables
 Delinquent Real Property
 Foreclosures (bank)
 Structure Fires
 Code Violations (aggregated)
 Zoning Violations
• Crime Variables
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Assault
Burglary
Copper Theft
Drug Offenses
Homicide
Rape
Robbery
Suspicious Persons
Trespassing
Vandalism
GIS in Public Health
 Public Assistance
 Provide departments and organizations that work with the public better tools
to aid the population that they serve.
 Perform analysis of data to better define target areas for public outreach,
education, etc.
 Quickly identify areas for potential grants.
 Provide information directly to the public.
Tweet about this presentation #gispro2014
Buffering:
• 1/8 Mile around a
corner store
Purpose:
• To identify properties
located new a corner
store
• To identify types of
properties new the
corner store
ROI/Value:
• Knowledge of
properties near
corner store
• Ability to preform
site visits
• Education about
health food
• To decide whether or
not to include corner
store in grant for
healthy foods
Crowdsourcing
“the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting
contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online
community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers”
Source: Merriam-Webster. “Crowdsourcing.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing. Last Accessed 03 Feb. 2015
Crowdsourcing Example
Run Keeper App
.gpx
ROI/ Value of Crowdsourcing Example
 Quick data collection
 Able to present proposed trail to Parks & Recreation and County Manager
 Multitasking (Time Saving)
 Regular run
 Data collection
 No investment in app or data collection device (i.e. smartphone)
Methods and Technologies used for creation
and distribution of GIS information
 Many different ways to get information to the people who can benefit from it:
 ArcGIS Online
 Web Maps
 Web Mapping Applications
 Open Data Sites
 Open Source
 Google Maps and APIs
 PostgreSQL
 Tried and True
 Email
 PDFs
 FTP Sites
 Hard Copies
GIS in Public Health Resources
 URISA
 Journal of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association Vol. 20 No. 2.
2008

Dedicated to “GIS in Public Health”
 Association of American Geographers (AAG)
 Annals of the Association of American Geographers Vol. 102 No. 5. 2012
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Special Issue: “Geographies of Health”
 Book
 GIS and Public Health. 2012. 2nd Ed. Ellen K. Cromley and Sara L. McLafferty. The
Guildord Press: NY
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 Website (GIS at CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/gis/
Contact Information
THANK
YOU!!
Dave Toren
GIS Programmer
dtoren@cityofws.org
336-703-2329
Please visit us at www.mapforsyth.org
Follow us on Twitter:
@MapForsyth