Geographical Information Systems & Health
GIS are useful to support health and human services because of their powerful data visualisation capabilities. Data on the incidence and diffusion of diseases can be captured, displayed and analysed quickly and conveniently within a GIS. Equally, GIS are useful for the analysis of patient records to optimise the use of hospital services and to rationalise service provision.
Facilities Management
GIS in the health sector support the management and organization of various levels of health provision. They can be used for the optimisation of ambulance services, the provision of hospital beds and the efficiant allocation of resources to meet patient demands for various services.
Vehicle Management
With the help of GIS, emergency vehicle routing can be optimised at different times of the day and for different days of the week. Updating address information and traffic conditions can be undertaken quickly and efficiently.
Disease Management
The geographical distribution of a disease can often provide important clues to its etiology. Mapping the incidence of a disease is particularly important where a point source of pollution may be the cause or trigger of the disease. Monitoring of a disease within a GIS can also provide important clues to its diffusion and for anticipating the demand on health services.
