GIS on Weekend: SIG EPI dan SaTScan
The 4th meeting at the “GIS on Weekend” on last Saturday (23/08/08) was presenting topic of SlG Epi and SaTScan utilization for epidemiology. Those applications can perform health spatial data analysis.
SIG Epi is current GIS application developed by Health Analysis Information and System-Pan American Heatlh Organization (HAIS–PAHO) for spatial analysis in epidemiology. PAHO has cooperated with ESRI to develop SIG Epi so that only shapefile (SHP) format can be run by this application. The output is useful for people who concern on epidemiology and public health, also for managerial decision maker. It has several features, such as descriptive statistic, correlation, health service, etc. The strength point of this apllication is package of data analysis including in the application (on menu of epi analysis) so that it does not need additional application to do analysis.
The SIG Epi can be downloaded at http://ais.paho.org:80/sigepi/dwld/SIGEpi_En.zip, It is free trial for the 90 days and we can buy the licensed one for the full version. It can be run by using Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/Xp. It needs processor of 486, pentium, or higher and memory of 128 MB with 40MB free spaces.
SaTScan is a free software that analyzes spatial, temporal and space-time data using the spatial, temporal, or space-time scan statistics. It is designed for any of the following interrelated purposes:
- Perform geographical surveillance of disease, to detect spatial or space-time disease clusters, and to see if they are statistically significant.
- Test whether a disease is randomly distributed over space, over time or over space and time.
- Evaluate the statistical significance of disease cluster alarms.
- Perform repeated time-periodic disease surveillance for early detection of disease outbreaks.
To perform the SaTScan output in map, we need application of Epi Info or ArcView-GIS. So you can install those two applications together with the SaTScan to produce the spatial analysis map.
At last, this GIS on weekend training has been ended for this August. Hopefully, we will arrange the similar training after the Ramadhan. For anyone who is interested in being the GIS expert, don’t worry! You still have a chance to make it real.
GIS on Weekend: Thematic Mapping
Today, people interest to GIS becomes greater since it can be applied to various sectors. It is also shown by the enthusiasm of participants in “GIS on Weekend” training held by the SIMKES, they come from various backgrounds, e.g. lecturers, graduate students, and staff of health office. In the third meeting on last Saturday (August 16, 2008), the topic was “thematic Mapping”, that was, participants were taught the way to make a thematic map. A thematic map displays spatial pattern of a theme or series of attributes and emphasizes spatial variation of one or a small number of geographic distributions. A thematic map can be made by converting Shapefiles (SHP) into a kml files which can be applied to Google Earth.
SHP is a vector format (format proprietary open specification) as the product of ESRI, a GIS software company (ArcInfo, ArcView, ArcIMS, dan ArcGIS). This format has 3 extension file, they are:
- Main file: *.shp
- Index file: *.shx
- DBase file: *.dbf
Data conversion from SHP files into kml files can be done in several ways. There are software which provide this conversion application, such as Arc GIS 9.2, Arc view GIS 3x (extension), DNR Garmin 5.3, Mapwindow 45CF with plug-ins Shape2earth 1.45.01, Shp2kml, etc. Among those softwares, Shp2kml is the easiest one and can be run indepedently without the main program. This application can be downloaded in http://www.zonums.com:80/files/Shp2kml.zip. After downloading the application, unzip the shp2kml.zip become shp2kml.exe.
Happy trying J
GIS on Weekend: Part 1
GIS on weekend is a set of training of Geographic Information System Implementation (GIS) for Health with 4 sessions. The first session has been held on Saturday, August 2, 2008. The topic was “GIS Implementation for Health” with the speakers of Anis Fuad, DEA (Overview of Health GIS), Sugeng Harianto (GIS Tools: Epimap, EpiInfo), and Adi Widagdo (Introduction to GPS). At last, a case study was lead by Anis Fuad to learn about GIS throughout the existed cases.
GIS was an information system with current data for showing the location in map. Along with the recent technology development, GIS also has been developed on the basis of computer and can be applied on other sectors including the health sector.
GIS can be used to answers the following questions:
- What did happen in a place?
- Where was something?
- What changes have happen during ….to…?
- How was the distribution pattern of something?
- How if…?
In public health sector, GIS based-spatial analysis is used for:
- Disease controlling (vector mapping, disease cases, distance identification, case clustering/cause of sickness)
- Health program planning
- Health program monitoring and evaluation
- A suporrting tool for health personnel allocation
The GIS integrate various data, e.g. satellite data, aerial photograph, digital maps, tabular information, etc., then forming new information in thematic map.
Before making a thematic map, we should prepare the spatial data to show location of an area. Gathering spatial data, we can use a GPS (global positioning system), that is a satellite based-navigation system which informing definite position of a location in the earth. The GPS receiver can detect the 24 orbited-satellite signals upon the earth. By using distance measuring function, we can determine position of a location in the world.
After gathering spatial data from the GPS, so these data are processed by using GIS software such as Epimap, Quantum GIS, ArcView, etc. At last, it can produce a complete map with points of observed location.
GIS has several advantages for health sectors, particularly for spatial analysis which can support decision making corresponding to public health.
For the next session, the topic is Spatial Data for Mapping. The registration for the next training sessions is still opened. Just contact the SIMKES secretariat on (62)274 -549432.
From the Graduate Program’s Graduation Ceremony of July 2008, New Title of MPH for the SIMKES Scholars.
Thursday, Juli 24, 2008, Graduate Program of Gadjah Mada University held a graduation ceremony for July period. Among the 973 scholars who attended the ceremony, there were 3 scholars from SIMKES (Health Management Information System). They were Maman, MPH (from the Subang Health Office), Abdul Haris, MPH (from the Mataram Health Polytechnic), and Ni Nyoman Kristina, MPH (from the Bali Health Office). Nevertheless, Abdullah, MPH (from the East Aceh Health Office) could not attend the ceremony.
Interestingly, Ni Nyoman Kritina reached an achievement in which her research result about spatial analysis of Tuberculosis at Denpasar won the fifth best scientific posters (from the approximately 80 participants from Southeast countries) in the Third Annual Southeast Asian Influenza Clinical Research Network Conference at Bali on May 21 – 23, 2008. Hopefully, in the next time, the SIMKES students and alumni will have better achievements year by year.
Starts from this period, the SIMKES scholars receive the title of MPH (Master of Public Health) in their graduation ceremony (the previous title was M.Kes or Magister Kesehatan, ind term). It showed that SIMKES has been recognized globally and ready for international program. For the future, SIMKES will always make some innovations in learning activities so that students will receive the best education here.
Congratulation !!!!
Spirit of SIMKES Students
Achieving your goals is needed hard efforts and also sacrifice. Sometime we will find a straight road, but sometime we have to find twist and turns road. It depended on the way you through it all. The SIMKES management hope that all students are able to complete their researches well and do not take a long time.
Along these 2 weeks, six SIMKES students from class of 2007 have gotten approval for their research proposals. They are Muslim, Farid, Haris, Susilo, Kartiawan, and Desak. The topics for their research are various, such as spatial analysis, surveillance system, e-learning, information system development, and also about SIKNAS Online. Most of the SIMKES students from class of 2005 and 2006 almost complete their thesis and ready for the research result seminar and final thesis examination. 4 students are going to be graduated on this month (July 2008).
For Desak, we have to present salutation for her efforts and spirit in preparing her research although she is being pregnant. She never show her tiring face because she has to go to SIMKES office in third floor for having consultation with Mr. Anis, and also go to Mr Surahyo’s office at Inixindo (in Timoho). Her steps will not stop until this point, now she prepares herself to have the research. We hope that she will finish her research before the baby delivering day. Good luck everybody J
SIMKES Visited Wonosobo Health Office
Related to study observation, SIMKES’s student visited to Wonosobo Health Office on Saturday, April 12, 2008 to observe the implementation of local government clinics’ information system (called SIMPUS). In this observation, the students were visiting Mojotengah government clinic and keeping a close watch on SIMPUS process since the patients’ registration, data entry, until they became a database which connected to all Wonosobo government clinics.
The connected SIMPUS to Wonosobo Health Office is enabling the staff of health office controlled the activities form each local government clinic, in such the way that the planning and program health management for local government clinics is better and more accurate.
The SIMPUS have been implemented in Wonosobo since 2006 and at the first time it was a spontaneous and never been planned before by the management. With the fund of Rp 2.5 billion and aiding from a son of head of Health Office (has replaced at the moment), network for the SIMPUS online was prepared. In the early stages, most of the people in Wonosobo Health Office did not know what they should do with the SIMPUS outputs for supporting the organization planning. At first, it was only the “winding machine” which was working and no other actions which have done. To cover those problems, Wonosobo health office held SIMPUS training for the employees in order they could operate and utilize the SIMPUS optimally. A good will to improve the regional health program makes Wonosobo Health Office always develop the SIMPUS utilization all the time.
In 2007, computers of SIMPUS were completed with web camera for teleconference and SIMPUS operators have been ready with computer and information skills. Finally, in this year, internet has been installed at all regions. However, several regions (i.e. Wadaslintang) were experiencing internet disruption because of the topography condition.
From the Wonosobo experience in implementing SIMPUS, we can get a lesson that the SIMPUS implementation can run well if it is supported by people who have strong commitment to bring it into reality.
Muslim, S.Gz, the First SIMKES ’07 Student Took the Proposal Seminar
Muslim S.Gz., SIMKES ’07 students succeed through the thesis proposal seminar on last Monday (16/6/08). Muslim proposed the research title of “Epidemiology Macro Study of Malaria Incidents with Spatial and Temporary Approach as the Result of Sand Mining at North Bintan Subdistrict, Bintan Regency, Province of Kepulauan Riau”. Under the supervisory of Prof. dr. Sugeng JM, DAP&E, M.Sc. dan Prof. dr. Hari Kusnanto, DrPH, Muslim was sure that his proposal would be accepted and got good responses form the board of examiners and the audiences. Good luck, Mr. Muslim! Farid, SKM, and Haris, SKM will take the proposal seminar soon. For other students of 2007 class, keep the spirit to complete your proposal! Ganbatte kudasai 