The Bucks County Health Department [PA] said it has begun work on a GPS data collection system that would allow field specialists to mark the exact location of monitored septic systems and wells. And, that same technology could also some day be used to track everything from West Nile test sites to public health outbreaks, said David Damsker, director of the county health department.
Bucks has contracted with GeographIT of Lancaster to develop the mobile data collection system at a budgeted cost of $79,530.
Fancis Koster (who looks a bit like Bill Davenhall, no?) writes the Optimistic Future column for the Salisbury Post . While he doesn't name it, he sees geomedicine in our future.
What I am pointing you toward is that technology and science will soon expand our society’s knowledge of where diseases occur, and what may be causing them. I believe this will lead to greater cries for regulation of disease- causing behaviors and ingredients, and a greater understanding of their cost to society. This in turn will lead to a greater effort to hold organizations accountable. And this will be turning up the volume of our current debate about the role of government and regulation.
From explaining map basics to the spatial analysis of health issues, GIS Tutorial for Health, Fourth Edition, published by Esri Press, helps health professionals and students learn how to analyze and manage health data using geographic information systems (GIS).
It lists at $80 US and includes a 180 day ArcGIS license.