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Client:  Griffith University on behalf of the Logan-Beaudesert Health Coalition (LBHC)

The Logan-Beaudesert Health Coalition (LBHC) is a collaborative arrangement between government and non-government agencies, the private sector and the community.  The LBHC adopts a holistic approach to address the health needs of the Logan-Beaudesert community by utilising local demographic, socio-economic and environmental factors, to develop and deliver health programs and services.

The objective of the HDSS project was to implement a secure web-based application prototype designed specifically to inform health planners about building and promoting health and preventing chronic disease. Furthermore, it was intended that this GIS tool enable decision makers to interrogate a number of datasets in a visual format to facilitate the interpretation of complex relationships.

In essence, this tool was intended to support LBHC in its efforts to improve public health outcomes. As such, a key requirement was that the delivered prototype solution would provide clear and intelligible mapping with advanced analytical capabilities that are readily utilised by non-technical users.

The desired application was intended to provide users with a view of a list of map layers available for selection and viewing and the ability to simultaneously display multiple map layers and identify patterns and relationships between map features (for example, identification of healthcare facilities proximate to transport features and corridors). Importantly, the ability to undertake analytical queries to enable interpretation of data and evidence-based decision making was required. For example, the tool was intended to provide users with the means to determine the number of health facilities of a given type falling within 1 km of a selected point (e.g. a public school).

 Spatial Vision  implemented a solution based on ESRI server technology, ArcGIS Server and the Flex Application Programming Interface (API). This framework provides the ability to create a rich, dynamic Internet application and delivers on the requirements of the HDSS to be intuitive and easy to use by non-GIS users.

Figure 1 Measure Tool

The HDSS has a secure log-in and standard map navigation capabilities (i.e. panning, zooming). Users can search by locality and health facility. The HDSS includes a number of spatial layers depicting demographic information, socio-economic indicators, administrative boundaries and facilities locations (i.e. health, education and community) which have been collated by Griffith University. In addition to the comprehensive list of layers included in the application, the application provides powerful capability by delivering sophisticated analytical tools generally reserved for GIS specialists to a broad user base. A proximity analysis tool, for example, may be used to identify schools that are within walking distance of fast food outlets, and therefore may place children at greater risk of obesity.

 Feedback on the HDSS has been positive. Stakeholders have indicated that the tools provided in the prototype system enable them to better understand the geographical dimensions of public health issues and support their efforts in working collaboratively and making evidence-based decisions.

Demonstrated Capabilities
-    Understanding of health and related data and their spatial representations
-    Techniques for broadened accessibility to health and related data
-    Geo-spatial analysis and implementation in a web environment
-    Appreciation of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) and empowering the user experience

Resources
-    Ishara Kotiah -  Spatial Vision Project and Development  Manager
-    Girish Madan  - .NET Developer

Technologies Applied
-    ESRI ArcGIS Server Version 10
-    ArcGIS Server Flex API
-    Adobe Flex IDE
-    REST protocol
-    ArcSDE on SQL Server 2008
-    C# development language in .NET 2.0

Quote from Client

“It is visual evidence, so it is much more tangible than other forms of evidence. The maps show how things look now and we can use them to predict how they will look in the future, which can trigger an intervention” - Ori Gudes

Figure 2. Proximity

Figure 3 Services Area

Figure 4 splashscreen

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