GIS in public health for health research and management
GIS is used in public health for health research and management. Countries make use of the spatial modelling capacity that is availed by GIS to comprehend and explain the spatial variation of disease as well as its relationship with environmental factors and the health care system. Availability of timely information on the course of a given disease as well as other health events is a necessity in public health and GIS is what generates and avails this type of information. For example, the use of climatic and remotely sensed data, public health officers can use GIS to determine and understand malaria occurrence, seasonality, and intensity models. The data obtained can be combined with population data so as to make estimates on the exposure of given populations, morbidity and mortality of malaria along with analyzing the effects of climate change that are associated with malaria. GIS can then be used to map out malaria vectors along with their habitats. Besides being used to map infection, GIS can be used by PHOs to implement measures for management and control of malaria as well as to measure the availability and impact of access to malaria treatment. GIS is often used in evaluating the effects of intervention strategies employed by PHOs to manage and prevent diseases.