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Abstract
Bringing a Health Database to the Web through ArcIMS
Track: Health and Human Services
Author(s): David Askov
In Spring of 2002, IGIST was tasked to provide a Web-based GIS application for the Tobacco Control Policy Project (TCCP) of University California San Diego. The design enables public access through the Internet to display, classify, query, and print thematic maps of various smoking related distributions. The maps are based on the standard MSA, county, and state geographical units so as to increase the potential of incorporating data collected by other agencies. The presentation of these thematic maps will aid Legacy Foundation members, news media, and other researchers in their fact-finding missions regarding smoking behavior.
The TCCP is dedicated to the study of smoking-related demographics. They have used ArcView GIS to study the geographic patterns in their data since 1999. While this served their analytical purposes, they had no way to provide access to dynamic geographic displays of their data outside of their research group.
The user is provided an interface to draw thematic maps from graduated color schemes of various numerical distributions. Tables of resulting data are generated to allow the user to view additional information for the records retrieved. An example user interaction would be to select from 4 pulldown menus that would determine: Scale, year, demographic, and smoking statistic. For example, the user could create a map showing a graduated color distribution of the Number of Hispanic smoking related deaths that occurred per capita in different California counties in 1997.
The query is constructed in an Active Server Pages (ASP) script, which also extracts the data from an MS Access database, formats it for display in ArcIMS, and exports the results to a DBF table. The ASP script then uses ArcIMS' ActiveX connector to define the class breaks and to symbolize the polygons with the data returned from the user's query. The script also dynamically creates ArcXML in order to relate the geographic data to the query results that are returned.
The historical database and analysis was held in SAS. ArcView 3.2 was used to edit the database and geographic data. ArcIMS 3.1 was used to generate the map services. This application is a classic example of spatially examining a traditional health related database.
David Askov
Integrated GIS Technologies
5605 Adams Ave
San Diego , CA 92115
USA
Phone: 619-287-9922
Fax: 619-287-9944
E-mail: askov@digitalics.com