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Showing posts from September, 2011

Web GIS for Public Health

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher known for his doctrine of change being central to the universe rightly said that change is the only constant in this universe. No reason why this change should not be constant in the noble life saving field of medical sciences. Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" (1920, C.E.A. Winslow). It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. The population in question can be as small as a handful of people or as large as all the inhabitants of several continents (for instance, in the case of a pandemic). Public health is typically divided into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social, behavioral, and occupational health are other important subfields (Wikipedia). The underlying