1. What is GIS?

Geographic Information System to explore the fundamentals principle of

geography.
What are three uses of GIS?
Inventory, analyze and manage many aspects
How might GIS be used in solutions to problems?
Helps make sure electricity was used
Helps find a map on the internet
Putting data on a map
o With geographic knowledge, it can help us make better
decisions for today
o Helps illustrates patterns
2. Dr. Chetan Tiwari and Using Maps as Public Health Decision Support Tools
What examples did he use to demonstrate the use of GIS in health decision
making?
1854 Cholera Outbreak in London
o John Snow mapped deaths that were occurring and found out that
a water pump in Broad Street was contaminated.

What are the concerns about the data?

Maps are not very meaningful rather than representing the process
If you arent careful, you can end up getting very different maps
3. Geographic information Systems in Public Health
a. Explain three examples listed in this presentation about the use of GIS in
public health.
i. Manage GIS to find the information you need and get rid of
ii.

irrelevant information
GIS acquires information about built environment such as parks,
places to eat that are located in area of high obesity rate.
GIS helps putting the point across to other people.

iii.
4. Crime Map
a. What is the most frequently occurring issue in this area?
i. Theft is the most frequently occurring issue

b. Why is this of map useful in public and community health? Justify your
answer!
i. When contemplating on where to call some house home, it would
be useful to use the crime map so the person could see what
occurs in their neighborhood. For example, if a family wants to
find a place to live, they wouldnt want to live where there is sex
offenders or drug issues.
5. Household Income Map
a. What is the median household income?
i. The median household income was $
b. Why is this useful in public health/why do we need to use median
household income when we decide populations at risk or in need of
services?
i. If a public health worker sees that the median income is low, they
could conclude that they dont have enough money to be paying
for healthier food options. Also if the median households is low, it
is because they most likely didnt obtain a higher education thus,
not informed in what is it to have a good health and well-being.
6. Using online GIS mapping software
a. Why would that be difficult walk to the store?
i. When starting off from 17th Street, there isnt a safe sidewalk.
The area also seems pretty unsafe to be walking too
because it looks abandoned.
b. What are the common ads on both markets?
a. Beer and wine
c. What are the causes of those diseases from a social standpoint for
populations?
a. I can see that certain kinds of cancers can be caused due to the
availability of food and drinks. There are many fast food stores

nearby that would be convenient for people to go through drive thru

quickly and put themselves in danger of chronic diseases.
d. How would you make the association between death by ZIP code and the
availability of food in 92411?
a. Since the near markets that are available are promoting alcohol, I
would associate deaths such as high blood pressure and cancer
with the resources nearby.
7. Walk score
a. What is your walk score?
i. 41
b. Do you think your neighborhood is walkable meaning conducive to
walking?
i. I believe my neighborhood is walkable during the day to acquire a
couple of ingredients quickly to the local market but towards the
end of the evening is when I do not think it is safe to walk.
c. Examples to provide specifics to support your argument.
i. For one thing, according to crime map there is quite of few
register sexual offenders walking to the nearest market, which is a
10-minute walk from my home. If there arent registered sexual
offenders, there are many men who catcall and make females feel
ii.

uncomfortable walking.
Another thing is the sidewalk isnt continuous and many drivers
are reckless in my area.