GIS Data Visualization: Indispensable for Policymakers and Community Leaders

The Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio conference
proved to be a showcase for GIS technology in practice.

Geospatial data visualization is an indispensable tool for policymakers and community leaders, as evidenced by yesterday's Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio conference. Although the conference was not intended to be a showcase for geospatial information system (GIS) technology, almost every presenter used geospatial data visualization and analysis to tell their story. In many cases, it was the story.

Here are three highlights from the day.

GE Aviation Uses GIS Data Visualization to Improve Employee Health

GE Aviation is using a customized version of HealthLandscape's Site Performance Explorer to bring common sense and creativity to its efforts to improve employee health. For example, GE used to spread a "Stop Smoking" message only among its workers. Now the company uses GIS data visualization to see the prevalence of smoking in the communities that surround its sites. When a visualization shows high smoking rates, GE extends its nonsmoking promotions throughout the community because the company recognizes that employees are more likely to stop smoking if their friends and family members don't smoke. GE uses their customized app to address other health issues as well, such as improving employee access to primary care providers and promoting health screenings.

Why GIS? Because GIS data visualization draws attention to factors within a community that can directly affect an organization.

The City of Louisville Tackles Asthma Using GIS Data Visualization

Ted Smith, Chief of Economic Growth and Innovation for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, is using GIS data visualization not only to improve residents' health, but also to increase the region's economic vitality.

Statistics show that Louisville has extremely poor air quality--among the worst in the nation--making it a challenging place for people with asthma to live. High asthma-related emergency room admission rates and poor air quality scores make it difficult to attract and retain businesses. Smith has initiated a program with Propeller Health to supply Louisville-area residents with GIS-equipped inhalers. Each time a patient uses their inhaler, sensors record when and where the puff was taken. Analysts then combine inhaler data with weather, air pollution, traffic pattern, and other large data sets to look for ways to intervene, on both the patient and the policy level.

There have already been some surprising findings. For example, residents generally avoid living on the city's west side, where large industrial complexes are located and pollution levels are perceived to be high. Data have shown, however, that particulate matter levels are much higher in Louisville's wealthiest neighborhoods, likely due to weather patterns and the city's topographical characteristics. GIS data visualization shows just how pronounced the difference is.

Why GIS? Because GIS data visualization can show truths that run counter to our intuition.

Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Councils of Government Uses Crowdsourcing to Map Bike Routes 

Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Councils of Government (OKI) wanted to create bike route maps for Northern Kentucky and Ohio. They tried traditional outreach methods (e.g., email, meetings) to engage the cycling community. Their most successful effort was a survey conducted at local bike shops. They received a total of 34 responses.

OKI decided to try a new approach: crowdsourcing. They created a simple online mapping platform and invited the cycling community to add bike routes to the online map. They also invited riders to share their experiences with those routes. The resulting Bike Route Guide is now a permanent part of OKI's website (click here for the link).

Why GIS? Because GIS data visualization can invite participation and community engagement in a way that traditional methods do not.

At HealthLandscape, we strive to create GIS data visualization tools that don't require GIS specialists to use them. We want you to be able to make your data accessible, "mash it up" with other data sets, and use the visualizations to ask questions and formulate solutions to your community's challenges.

To learn more about our GIS data visualizations, attend one of our free webinars.

Introduction to HealthLandscape

In-depth instruction on using HealthLandscape, our free online mapping tool and data library
Thursday, December 5, 2:00 pm ET

The Community Data Portal

In-depth demonstration of our award-winning data dissemination tool
Tuesday, December 10, 2:00 pm EST

Visualizing Data with HealthLandscape

Overview of all of our data visualization tools, including the Site Performance Explorer
Tuesday, December 17, 2:00 pm ET

Agenda Announced for Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio Conference

Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio

Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm ET

Northern Kentucky University METS Center

FREE

Have you registered yet? You can still get in, but we need your reservation by November 9.

The Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio conference will showcase novel and effective uses of health data in the Kentucky-Ohio region. We'll welcome keynote speakers Dwayne Spradlin (CEO of the Health Data Consortium) and Damon Davis (Director of the Health Data Initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

The conference is organized around Thomas R. Frieden's Health Impact Pyramid. The Health Impact Pyramid is a framework that describes different types of public health interventions. Interventions at the base of the pyramid (socioeconomic factors) have potential to impact the greatest number of people; interventions at the top of the framework (counseling and education) require more work on an individual level. (Click here to read a great blog post by Jennifer Chubinski, Director of Community Research at Interact for Health, which presents readers' suggestions on how to apply the pyramid.)

Panel sessions will address three of the five tiers of the Health Impact Pyramid.

Socioeconomic Factors Panel: moderated by Ross Meyer, Vice President, Community Impact, United Way of Greater Cincinnati

• Simplifying Data to Drive Health and Productivity Strategies: Craig Osterhues, Manager, Health Services, GE Aviation
• UDS Mapper: Jennifer Rankin, Geospatial Informatics Senior Analyst, Robert Graham Center
• Exploring the Facts Matter Data Portal: Eric Rademacher, Co-Director, Institute for Policy Research, University of Cincinnati

Changing the Context Panel: moderated by Gabriela Alcalde, Health Policy Director, The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky

• Mapping Louisville's Urban Trees: Collecting Baseline Data for a Healthier Community: Pat Smith, Community Planner and Evaluation Researcher with REACH Evaluation and Director, City Collaborative
• Food Deserts in Hamilton County: Chris Auffrey, Associate Professor, School of Planning, University of Cincinnati
• Exploring Access to Walking and Biking Trails Using Sidewalk Audits and Participatory Mapping: Michael Topmiller, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Geography, University of Cincinnati and GIS Data Specialist, HealthLandscape, LLC
• The Cincinnati Bike Flash Map Campaign: Using a Crowd Source Strategy to Map Bike Routes in Cincinnati: Gayle Foster, Project Administrator, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments

Long-Lasting Protective and Clinical Interventions: moderated by Karen Bankston, Associate Dean of Clinical Practice, Partnership, and Community Engagement, University of Cincinnati College of Nursing

• Louisville Asthmapolis Project, Civic Health Data: Citizen as Sensors: Ted Smith, Chief of Economic Growth and Innovation, Louisville Metro Government
• M2M Online Delivery: Healthcare's Next Megatrend: Chuck Thornbury, Founder, meVisit Technologies
• Overview of the Health Benefit Exchange, KyNect: Carrie Banahan, Executive Director, and Bill Nold, Deputy Executive Director, Kentucky Office of the Health Benefit Exchange

And we'll announce the winner of our infographic competition!

We invite your participation on November 19. Lunch is provided, and you'll have an opportunity for roundtable discussions with the panelists.

Only a few spots remain, so register today!

Please note: The conference is co-sponsored by HealthLandscape, Interact for Health, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Registration is free, but we must assess a $75 cancellation charge for any guest who cancels after November 9.

How Are You Measuring Health Promotion in Your Region?

How do you measure health promotion activities in your region? What performance indicators show that your health promotion efforts are producing results?

We're curious because one of our partner organizations, The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati,* has shifted its strategic direction away from access to care and toward health promotion. Now called Interact for Health, the organization's primary focus is on:

• Healthy eating
• Active living
• Mental and emotional well-being
• Healthy choices about substance use

Interact for Health has organized its new strategy around the National Prevention Council's National Prevention Strategy. In Appendix 2, the document lists categories of key indicators, including:

• Goal indicators
• Leading causes of death
• Healthy and safe community environments
• Clinical and community preventive services
• Empowered people
• Elimination of health disparities
• Tobacco-free living
• Preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use
• Healthy eating
• Active living
• Injury and violence-free living
• Reproductive and sexual health
• Mental and emotional well-being

Many of the data sets that match the key indicators listed in the National Prevention Strategy are included in HealthLandscape's Community HealthView tool, which is easily accessible, free, and ready to use. To learn how to access data in Community HealthView, click the link below to sign up for an Introduction to HealthLandscape webinar.

How are you measuring health promotion? What's working for you?

*HealthLandscape, LLC is a partnership of Interact for Health and the American Academy of Family Physicians' Robert Graham Center.

You're Invited: Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio

Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio

Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm ET

Northern Kentucky University METS Center

FREE

Mark your calendars for this free, day-long event!

HealthLandscape is proud to co-sponsor the upcoming Data! Fostering Health Innovation in Kentucky and Ohio conference. Join us for a day of fast-moving presentations that will showcase novel and effective uses of health data in the Kentucky–Ohio region.

Damon Davis
Director, Health Data Initiative
U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services

Dwayne Spradlin
CEO, Health Data Consortium

Keynote speakers Dwayne Spradlin and Damon Davis will give national and federal context for health innovation. Other presenters will address:

• Contextual data for community benefit planning and local asset mapping
• Built environment strategies to help make the healthy choice the easy choice
• Novel approaches to chronic disease management and increased access to care

Lunch is provided, and will offer an opportunity for topical roundtable discussion.

Space is limited to the first 250 who register, so register today!

We look forward to seeing you on November 19!

Please note: The conference is co-sponsored by HealthLandscape, Interact for Health, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Registration is free, but we must assess a $75 cancellation charge for any guests who cancel after November 9.