699.5.G38 C881 1998 Working Paper · z 699.5.G38 C881 1998 Working Paper From the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION/National Center for Health Statistics COGNITIVE METHODS

z699 .5 .G38C8811998

Working Paper

From the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION/National Center for Health Statistics

COGNITIVE METHODS STAFFW o r k i n g P a p e r S e r i e s , N o . 2 3

Public Health Geographic "Information Systems (GIS)News and Information: 1994-1997C h a r l e s K . C r o n e r , P h . D .

H fO f f i c e o f R e s e a r c h an d M e t h o d o l o g y N a t i o n a l C e n t e r f o r H e a l t h S t a t i s t i c s

J a n u a r y , 1 9 9 8

/ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IPublic Health Service B I\ j i f f Centers for Disease Control and Prevention *\ ' N o ' - National Center for Health Statistics c e n t e r s f o r d i s e a s e c o n t r o l¿¡g. AND PREVENTION

These working papers from the National Center for Health Statistics are preliminary and not intended to be official NCHS publications. The papers have not been cleared for publication and should not be quoted without permission of the author. The views expressed are the author's and do not necessarily represent the position of NCHS or the Department of Health and Human Services.

COGNITIVE METHODS STAFFW o r k i n g P a p e r S e r i e s , N o . 2 3

Public Health Geographic "Information Systems (GIS)News and Information: 1994-1997C h a r l e s K . C r o n e r , P h . D .

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O f f i c e o f R e s e a r c h an d M e t h o d o l o g y N a t i o n a l C e n t e r f o r H e a l t h S t a t i s t i c s

J a n u a r y , 1 9 9 6

' fATSONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS ;TAFF RESEARCH LIBRARY

METRO ill, ROOM 1169 6525 &ELCREST ROAD HYATTSVILLE, MD 20782 . .

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Acknowledgmentscfoli q ej C A number o f people offered encouragement for the new development o f a Geographic Information

' Systems (GIS) Users Group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). At CDC, I am appreciative o f the early support received from M onroe Sirken, Andrew White, David Williamson, and Donna Stroup, and current support from Lester Curtin, Kenneth Harris, and Jimmie Givens. At ATSDR, I am appreciative o f the support o f William Henriques.

Also, I am thankful to the many subscribers who provide timely contribution to the CDC/ATSDR GIS Users Group electronic report “Public H ealth GIS News and Inform ation .” Produced bimonthly since October, 1994, the report connects more than 600 online national and international multidisciplinary subscribers from all public health sectors. The CDC/ATSDR GIS Users Group is dedicated to scientific excellence and advancement in disease control and prevention through the use o f GIS.

Charles Croner

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Editor note

This document consists o f the aggregated reports from the CDC/ATSDR GIS Users Group (edited by Charles Croner), for the period 1994-1997. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are computer- based visual mapping systems that make clear to the human analyst data relationships, or patterns o f data, that may otherwise be embedded in a large, complex dataset. Although many facets o f GIS involve the details o f computer technology, the comprehension and effective use o f the resulting geographic map by the user is ultimately a cognitive function that involves the visual information processing capacities o f the human mind. Because o f the strong relationship between GIS, survey methods, and human cognition, this document has been included in a publication series devoted to the cognitive aspects o f survey methodology. The editor and author hope that, in addition to researchers who work specifically with GIS, those who are interested in the interdisciplinary study o f technology and cognition will find this document useful for suggesting ways in which computational and social sciences can be combined to provide new avenues for scientific exploration.

Readers who are particularly interested in the cognitive aspects o f GIS are encouraged to consult Working Paper #18 in this series (Cognitive Aspects o f Statistical Mapping, by Linda Pickle and Douglas Herrmann). Instructions for obtaining additional Working Papers are contained at the back of this publication.

Gordon B. WillisEditor, NCHS Cognitive Methods Staff Working Paper Series