Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Recognizing the Importance of Place in Primary Care Research and Practice

Article Figures & Data

Table 1.

Example Applications of Geographic Information Systems and Health

Measure of Habitat or Place	Research Application
Proximity to destinations	Active living and physical activity; obesity reduction; functional independence in older adults
Service areas	Access to care; resource utilization
Transportation networks	Alternate modes to reach destinations, walking school bus programs
Access to quality food sources	Lifestyle modification for weight control; cardiometabolic syndrome; prenatal care

Table 2.

Web Resources for Research and Practice

Name	Examples of Uses	URL
Geospatial OneStop	Administrative boundaries, environment, transportation	http://gos2.geodata.gov/wps/portal/gos
GIS Data Depot	Commercial source of data, including satellite images and Canadian data	http://data.geocomm.com/
National Atlas	Environmental exposures, geology, boundaries, census	http://www-atlas.usgs.gov/
US Census Bureau	Best source for demographic information, socioeconomics, TIGER line road data	http://www.census.gov/
National Cancer Institute GIS	Cancer mortality data, boundary files	http://gis.cancer.gov/
Centers for Disease Control GIS Data Sources	WONDER data access, infectious disease information	http://www.cdc.gov/gis/data.htm
State resources	Useful for local data, including health and economic data; quality varies by state	Vary by state

GIS, geographic information systems; TIGER, topologically integrated geographic encoding and referencing; WONDER, Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research.