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What are some GIS applications for environmental health emergency response?

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Geographic information systems (GIS) are powerful tools for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data. GIS can help environmental health professionals and emergency responders to assess hazards, monitor exposures, identify vulnerable populations, allocate resources, and communicate risks. In this article, we will explore some of the GIS applications for environmental health emergency response, using examples from recent disasters and pandemics.

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Manuel Lluberas

Senior Consultant | Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Control

1 Hazard Mapping

One of the first steps in any emergency response is to map the location and extent of the hazard, whether it is a chemical spill, a wildfire, a flood, or a disease outbreak. GIS can help to integrate data from multiple sources, such as satellite imagery, field surveys, sensors, and models, to create accurate and timely maps of the hazard. These maps can help to identify the areas and populations at risk, prioritize interventions, and track the evolution of the hazard over time.

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Manuel Lluberas

Senior Consultant | Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Control
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Health emergencies require pinpoint accuracy when determining where the services are to be delivered. This is especially critical after a disaster, man-made or nature-generated, where the landmarks may be destroyed. It gives helicopter pilots a specific location that does not require street numbers or reference locations.

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2 Exposure Assessment

Another key aspect of environmental health emergency response is to estimate the exposure of people and ecosystems to the hazard. GIS can help to combine data on the hazard level, the environmental factors, and the human activities to calculate the exposure dose and duration. For example, GIS can help to estimate the inhalation exposure to smoke from wildfires, based on the air quality, the wind direction, and the time spent outdoors. GIS can also help to assess the exposure to pathogens, such as COVID-19, based on the mobility patterns, the contact networks, and the infection rates.

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Manuel Lluberas

Senior Consultant | Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Control
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Toxicity is a function of time of exposure. GIS can give the precise location of a location and help determine any effect air or water currents will have in transporting any dangerous material and the their potential effect on human and animal life..

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3 Vulnerability Analysis

Not all people and places are equally affected by environmental hazards. Some factors, such as age, health status, income, and access to services, can make some groups more vulnerable than others. GIS can help to identify and map these factors, using data from census, surveys, health records, and social media. GIS can also help to create indices and indicators of vulnerability, based on the combination of multiple factors. For example, GIS can help to identify the areas and populations that are more vulnerable to heat waves, based on the temperature, the humidity, the urban heat island effect, and the availability of cooling centers.

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Manuel Lluberas

Senior Consultant | Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Control
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Some populations are more vulnerable than others. Location also affects vulnerability. GIS can be very useful identifying roads, their condition, and those of bridges and mountain passes to people who are not familiar with the affected area. It also can locate warehouses, hospitals, refuge, and breweries, frequently overlooked source of dry ice that can be used to keep the cold chain of medicines, vaccines, and food.

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4 Resource Allocation

One of the main challenges in environmental health emergency response is to allocate the limited resources, such as personnel, equipment, supplies, and facilities, in the most efficient and equitable way. GIS can help to optimize the resource allocation, based on the spatial distribution of the needs and the capacities. GIS can also help to evaluate the trade-offs and the impacts of different allocation scenarios, using criteria such as cost, effectiveness, accessibility, and fairness. For example, GIS can help to allocate the COVID-19 vaccines, based on the population size, the infection rate, the risk factors, and the vaccination sites.

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Manuel Lluberas

Senior Consultant | Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Control
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An assessment of what was available and what is left after an event that can be used must be included. Visibility to many events generate support interest, but this often results on sending the wrong materials. GIS can pinpoint where the needs are. That is, climbing gear in the mountain and water crafts on the lake and sea shores and not vise versa.

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5 Risk Communication

An essential component of environmental health emergency response is to communicate the risk information to the public and the stakeholders, in order to raise awareness, inform decisions, and promote actions. GIS can help to create and disseminate interactive and engaging maps and dashboards, that can show the spatial and temporal patterns of the hazard, the exposure, the vulnerability, and the response. GIS can also help to collect and incorporate feedback from the users, using tools such as surveys, polls, and crowdsourcing. For example, GIS can help to communicate the air quality information, using maps, charts, and alerts, that can show the current and forecasted levels, the health effects, and the recommendations.

GIS is a valuable tool for environmental health emergency response, as it can help to address the complex and dynamic spatial problems that arise from environmental hazards. GIS can help to improve the situational awareness, the decision making, and the action taking, in order to protect the health and well-being of people and ecosystems.

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Manuel Lluberas

Senior Consultant | Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Control
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Identifying what is needed and the potential risk to survivors and first responders is a must. Putting all the information in a brief report with all the required GIS data points helps first responders and reconstruction workers.

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Pradeep Mohapatra

Secretary & Co-Founder at UDYAMA
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Risk informed communication using technology now is giving real time management opportunity to mitigate health hazards. This is one of the most accurate and essential delivery service system

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Manuel Lluberas

Senior Consultant | Medical Entomologist, Mosquito Control
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It is impossible to share examples on emergency experiences in a few lines of text. My experience in Banda Aceh, Indonesia after the earthquake-Tsunami, Haiti after the earthquake, Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria are similar in their need for detailed GIS data, but different in their needs and post-event actions. And let us not forget wars. These also require good GIS data but bring very specific and particular needs many relief and reconstruction workers find very difficult to engage with.

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What are some GIS applications for environmental health emergency response?

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2

3

4

5

6

1 Hazard Mapping

2 Exposure Assessment

3 Vulnerability Analysis

4 Resource Allocation

5 Risk Communication

6 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Services

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What are some GIS applications for environmental health emergency response?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Hazard Mapping

2 Exposure Assessment

3 Vulnerability Analysis

4 Resource Allocation

5 Risk Communication

6 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Services

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感谢您的反馈

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