Authors:
André Oliveira
and
Pedro Cabral
Affiliation:
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Systems Integration, Internet, Geographic Information Systems, Epidemiological Surveillance.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Web Geographical Information Systems
;
Web Information Systems and Technologies
;
Web Interfaces and Applications
Abstract:
The application of geographic information tools in Public Health management already includes many areas of study, one of which deals with the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in epidemiological surveillance systems, with the objective of aiding Public Health officials in decision-making. Some of these systems are already operational in several countries, acting in various spatial and temporal scales, and with different levels of priority. The present article introduces the development of a Public Health spatial data management infrastructure within the Portuguese General Directorate of Health, baptized Public Health Emergencies Support System and essentially aimed at performing epidemiological surveillance tasks. This is a multiplatform environment that brings together relational databases, geographic information systems and web technology, making it possible to supply daily and weekly updated results to health officials through the Internet. Satisfactory results
were obtained with the implementation of SSESP, since most of the planned infrastructure and functionalities are already operational. Some of the system’s present handicaps and evolutionary perspectives are also discussed.
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