Issue link: https://resources.esri.ca/i/747408
Solution KFL&A collaborated with Esri Canada, the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre and Infonaut to build the Infection WATCH Live Web application. The application sits on top of the RODS framework and leverages Esri's ArcGIS Server to aggregate data and push it out to the general public through the Web. The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre supplied spatial data that was integrated with KFL&A hospital intake data, along with data obtained from the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and then populated into the new application. The datasets focus on respiratory and gastrointestinal complaints as these illnesses are rapidly transmitted and pose a significant burden to community health services. Through Esri technology, respiratory and gastrointestinal visit data is evaluated based on seasonal, demographic and geographic norms to find trends and predictors for outbreaks. The results are then displayed as areas of high activity in red, elevated activity in yellow and normal activity in green. Benefits When it launched, Infection WATCH Live received 1,000 hits and now averages over 500 per day. By leveraging GIS to make this data available through an intuitive, public-facing Web site, everyone from family physicians to school and child centre administrators can make more informed health decisions and proactively participate in mitigating the spread of infection. Members of the general public can also make informed decisions that might include avoiding public areas during an outbreak. Users have access to daily maps that provide a snapshot of the health status across the region, advanced maps that let them interact with the data, and illness trends that allow them to build their own customized, animated, historical maps. Users can also publish maps for inclusion in other GIS applications. The application's visual component makes it easy for public health professionals to identify triggers that alert them to potential problems early on. The data also helps experts develop predictions about future outbreaks. Moving Forward The Infection WATCH Live team believes that the application will serve as a model for other Canadian cities to inform the public, limit the spread of disease and alleviate emergency department crowding. GIS enables KFL&A area to track the spread of infectious disease | Esri Canada 2 KFL&A's Web mapping site allows visitors to quickly scan respiratory and gastrointestinal maps and get a snapshot of the region's health status. The Infection WATCH Live site is a dynamic mapping environment that allows users to interact with a map of interest. " The establishment of a surveillance system using data from hospital emergency departments has been an invaluable tool for us to identify infectious disease risks early on." Dr. Ian Gemmill Medical Officer of Health KFL&A Public Health