Aiding decision making in public health domain using web GIS

Abstract

The importance of new technologies such as web-GIS is increasingly noted in supporting decision making in public health planning and management. Most of literatures point to examples of web-GIS use especially in the developing world in areas of such as geography of disease, urban planning as well as public health care. This project was exemplified this need in the types of information of interest to local epidemiologists. It includes TB/ HIV distribution in population, rural/urban variations, delivery of health services, and dissemination of National Tuberculosis Program and general health services. The contribution of web-GIS in aiding the decision making process in last years is being agreed upon it by most of new applications have been developed. Is become no doubt that spatial analysis breaks down all awkward details of setting policies and taking proper decisions This project takes in hand the task of implementing a prototype web-GIS application using ArcGIS, MapGuide Open Source tools, and scripting language “PHP, ArcXML”. The scope of the project is to connect treatment centers with central unit of disease management allowing them to access a centralized database, also to create an easy-to-use interface of basic layers of information, which include general health facilities, population data; Directly Observed Treatment Short Course centers (DOTs), Antiretroviral Therapy centers’ locations (ARTs), and mapping important health indicators.