Ebook: GIS for Health and the Environment: Development in the Asia-Pacific Region With 110 Figures

“As the world becomes more integrated through the trade of goods and services and capital flows, it has become easier for diseases to spread through states, over borders and across oceans — and to do serious damage to vulnerable human and animal populations. ” American RadioWorks and NPR News, 2001 The global cost of communicable diseases is expected to rise. SARS has put the world on alert. We have now Avian Flu on the watch. Recognizing the global nature of threats posed by new and re-emerging infectious d- eases and the fact that many recent occurrences originated in the Asia - cific regions, there has been an increased interest in learning and knowing about disease surveillance and monitoring progresses made in these - gions. Such knowledge and awareness is necessary to reduce conflict, d- comfort, tension and uneasiness in future negotiations and global coope- tion. Many people are talking about the GIS and public and environmental health. The way we make public policies on health and environmental m- ters is changing, and there is little doubt that GIS provides powerful tools for visualizing and linking data in public health surveillance. This book is a result of the International Conference in GIS and Health held on 27-29 June 2006 in Hong Kong. The selected chapters are organized into four themes: GIS Informatics; Human and Environmental Factors; Disease modeling; and Public health, population health technologies, and surve- lance.

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This book is a compilation of methodological and application developments in spatial epidemiological approaches for environmental and public health studies in the Asia Pacific region. It aims to plug a gap in the literature that has seen a shortage of materials documenting the development of health GIS in this crucial part of the world. Another definite purpose of the book is to inform the direction of research paths and agenda in the subject matter.

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This book is a compilation of methodological and application developments in spatial epidemiological approaches for environmental and public health studies in the Asia Pacific region. It aims to plug a gap in the literature that has seen a shortage of materials documenting the development of health GIS in this crucial part of the world. Another definite purpose of the book is to inform the direction of research paths and agenda in the subject matter.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-IX
Exploratory Spatial Analysis Methods in Cancer Prevention and Control....Pages 1-14
Environmental Risk Factor Diagnosis for Epidemics....Pages 15-29
A Study on Spatial Decision Support Systems for Epidemic Disease Prevention Based on ArcGIS....Pages 30-43
Development of a Cross-Domain Web-based GIS Platform to Support Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases....Pages 44-56
A GIS Application for Modeling Accessibility to Health Care Centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia....Pages 57-70
Applying GIS in Physical Activity Research: Community ‘Walkability’ and Walking Behaviors....Pages 72-89
Objectively Assessing’ Walkability’ of Local Communities: Using GIS to Identify the Relevant Environmental Attributes....Pages 91-104
Developing Habitat-suitability Maps of Invasive Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia.L) in China Using GIS and Statistical Methods....Pages 105-121
An Evaluation of a GlS-aided Garbage Collection Service for the Eastern District of Tainan City....Pages 122-141
A Study of Air Quality Impacts on Upper Respiratory Tract Diseases....Pages 142-153
Spatial Epidemiology of Asthma in Hong Kong....Pages 154-169
An Alert System for Informing Environmental Risk of Dengue Infections....Pages 171-183
GIS Initiatives in Improving the Dengue Vector Control....Pages 184-194
Socio-Demographic Determinants of Malaria in Highly Infected Rural Areas: Regional Influential Assessment Using GIS....Pages 195-205
A Study of Dengue Disease Data by GIS Software in Urban Areas of Petaling Jaya Selatan....Pages 206-213
A Spatial-Temporal Approach to Differentiate Epidemic Risk Patterns....Pages 214-227
A “Spatiotemporal Analysis of Heroin Addiction” System for Hong Kong....Pages 229-242
A Public Health Care Information System Using GIS and GPS: A Case Study of Shiggaon....Pages 243-255
GIS and Health Information Provision in Post-Tsunami Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam....Pages 256-270
Estimating Population Size Using Spatial Analysis Methods....Pages 271-287
Back Matter....Pages 298-310
Avian Influenza Outbreaks of Poultry in High Risk Areas of Thailand, June-December 2005....Pages 288-297

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This book is a compilation of methodological and application developments in spatial epidemiological approaches for environmental and public health studies in the Asia Pacific region. It aims to plug a gap in the literature that has seen a shortage of materials documenting the development of health GIS in this crucial part of the world. Another definite purpose of the book is to inform the direction of research paths and agenda in the subject matter.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-IX
Exploratory Spatial Analysis Methods in Cancer Prevention and Control....Pages 1-14
Environmental Risk Factor Diagnosis for Epidemics....Pages 15-29
A Study on Spatial Decision Support Systems for Epidemic Disease Prevention Based on ArcGIS....Pages 30-43
Development of a Cross-Domain Web-based GIS Platform to Support Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases....Pages 44-56
A GIS Application for Modeling Accessibility to Health Care Centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia....Pages 57-70
Applying GIS in Physical Activity Research: Community ‘Walkability’ and Walking Behaviors....Pages 72-89
Objectively Assessing’ Walkability’ of Local Communities: Using GIS to Identify the Relevant Environmental Attributes....Pages 91-104
Developing Habitat-suitability Maps of Invasive Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia.L) in China Using GIS and Statistical Methods....Pages 105-121
An Evaluation of a GlS-aided Garbage Collection Service for the Eastern District of Tainan City....Pages 122-141
A Study of Air Quality Impacts on Upper Respiratory Tract Diseases....Pages 142-153
Spatial Epidemiology of Asthma in Hong Kong....Pages 154-169
An Alert System for Informing Environmental Risk of Dengue Infections....Pages 171-183
GIS Initiatives in Improving the Dengue Vector Control....Pages 184-194
Socio-Demographic Determinants of Malaria in Highly Infected Rural Areas: Regional Influential Assessment Using GIS....Pages 195-205
A Study of Dengue Disease Data by GIS Software in Urban Areas of Petaling Jaya Selatan....Pages 206-213
A Spatial-Temporal Approach to Differentiate Epidemic Risk Patterns....Pages 214-227
A “Spatiotemporal Analysis of Heroin Addiction” System for Hong Kong....Pages 229-242
A Public Health Care Information System Using GIS and GPS: A Case Study of Shiggaon....Pages 243-255
GIS and Health Information Provision in Post-Tsunami Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam....Pages 256-270
Estimating Population Size Using Spatial Analysis Methods....Pages 271-287
Back Matter....Pages 298-310
Avian Influenza Outbreaks of Poultry in High Risk Areas of Thailand, June-December 2005....Pages 288-297
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