Environmental Public Health Tracking Network Training FY19

The Commonwealth of Kentucky collects a wide variety of information relevant to public health through multiple cabinets and departments: infant mortality, smoking rates, cancer incidence, mining permits, vehicle crashes, drug-related arrests, and much more. All of these data possess a spatial component-i.e., a location that can be mapped in some way. Mapping and analyzing the spatial distribution of these phenomena enables public health authorities and others to more efficiently address them. Many state employees with basic geographic information system (GIS) skills, however, have limited experience with spatial analysis of public health data. Obtaining this experience while on the job is logistically difficult and time consuming, and thus rarely a priority. Furthermore, many state and local public health professionals do not have the software or training required for even basic mapping. GIS is a very important spatial analysis tool, which is progressive and timely for public health. Displaying data spatially allows public health professionals to tell the story and not rely on cumbersome documents that are not interactive and responsive in nature. By spatially layering data, you can address multi-factorial issues, such as health equity, burden, and temporal differences that you can't see in a one-dimensional report. GIS is difficult to navigate and training is essential to have optimal results.