Issue link: https://resources.esri.ca/i/1294387
ArcGIS Empowers Faster Response for Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance and Control April 2016 4 Needs and Challenges in Common Workflows When field staff collect a sample from a trap, they need to know exactly where that sample was collected. Accurate sample tracking means precisely targeted treatments. Unfortunately, the process of noting sample locations, matching lab results, and targeting treatments can be mired in time-consuming steps that lead to delays. Epidemiologists need to know the incidence and spread of human infection, because that forms a basis for their choice of interventions and recommendations. Agencies want to respond quickly to public requests, from removal of dead birds to investigation of green pools. Call center employees need a way to quickly verify the location of each problem and pass that information along so that field staff can be assigned. Supervisors need to mobilize their field teams to apply treatments and often need to make difficult choices from among chemical controls. Without a clear understanding about the extent of disease or vectors, supervisors must wrestle with decisions about what types of treatments and where to apply them. A complete view is essential to fairly weigh the various risks of treatment options. Field staff for both surveillance and control activities need to know where to go and the best routes to get there. In some regions, these routes reach into places without adequate cell phone signal, requiring people to find their way while offline. Likewise, some sites cannot be found by using a simple street address search. Public information officers are responsible for providing timely risk communication, education, and resources to the populations they serve. It's never easy to communicate complex ideas to the general public so that people are aware of available resources. Successfully combating vector-borne disease requires a platform that can capture multiple, complementary areas of expertise among epidemiologists, entomologists, health officials and staff, geographers, and others. When their collective knowledge and analysis center around location, a clear path forward emerges. GIS Supports Modern Surveillance and Control Efforts Overall computing technology has evolved, moving from desktop to laptop to tablet and smart mobile devices and including machine-to-machine communication and the adoption of cloud technologies. Agencies must consider which new technologies they need to adopt to modernize their processes. Today, the application of mapping and geographic information system (GIS) technology goes far beyond simple visualization. Mapping and GIS can be used to manage field operations, monitor disease activity, analyze patterns and trends, and target education and interventions efficiently and effectively. Figure 1: Volusia County Tracking and Recording Treatments