Community assessment refers to the monitoring and assessment based on collection of information about a community which is crucial for analyzing the depth of health issues. Data collection plays an important role in this kind of assessment, being the integral aspect of community health programming. Without proper assessment of the community, its practices, cultural values, needs and assets; the public health professionals stand completely unaware and may devise potentially ineffective health programs. A GIS mapping software provides such information to these authorities with accuracy.
From cultural observations to on-field surveys, various tools are available. However, not every tool provides easily interpretable information meant for general public. Hence, such data usually fails to put together the direct association between health and geographical location.
How GIS is Helpful
More than a decade ago, John Snow used the mapping method to detect the source of cholera outbreak in London. He created outbreak maps considering the severity of health of individuals in which gave him an idea about the geographic location of the infected individuals. This in turn helped him to detect the source of epidemic.
GIS mapping is the modern application of Snow’s methods. It used to collect, organize, analyze, retrieve and display public health data related to a certain location. Maps created from GIS mapping software can be used to define the correlation and significant hotspots within a community.
Example of GIS Usage for Community Assessment
As an example, researchers once used GIS for determining the correlation between the environment and risky sexual behavior. They created a “broken windows” index that was considered as the level of degeneration of the surrounding environment. With the help of the census data and GIS coordinates, the researchers unveiled a significant correlation between the degenerated environment and rates of gonorrhea.
Conclusion
GIS mapping can be more user-friendly than other forms of data presentation. It not only can help the authorities to analyze and get accurate assessment data, but also facilitate a proper understanding of the community. With better understanding, it will be easier for authorities to properly address the needs of the community. Learn more by visiting Frontier Precision.
