Satellite Broadcast on Geographic Information System

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 14, 2000

A satellite broadcast on Geographic Information System (GIS), "GIS in Public Health: Using Mapping and Spatial Analysis Technologies for Health Protection," is scheduled for May 11, 2000, from noon to 2:30 p.m. eastern daylight time. This broadcast, produced jointly by CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, will provide an overview of GIS applications in public health, environmental health, and health-care practice, including research and surveillance using GIS.

GIS provides a mechanism for layering health, demographic, environmental, and other data in a geographic format to facilitate analysis and highlight patterns of health-related occurrences. The program is intended to assist participants in identifying ways in which GIS can be useful to their own health professions. It will include demonstrations of GIS technology and show how GIS has helped health professionals understand health issues.