Geographic Information System Model and Health Risk Management

For the residents of Mississippi, West Nile Virus also known WNV is considered to be the significant health risk. Physicians and Mississippi health official are trying to find new ways or methods to monitor disease spread and also want to be capable of future outbreak of the disease. Geographic information system models somehow have the capability or potential to achieve or support such efforts.

In the initial phase, state parts where mosquitoes are have the ideal habitat are being modeled using Geographic information system in order to derive the risk areas in the state map. Further data classified into static /dynamic data and variable important to West Nile Virus. Zip codes make such maps and model simpler in Geographic Information System. The static variable includes stream density, slope, road density and vegetations. While dynamic variable include seasonal water and evaporation estimates.

Several models were being developed to estimate West Nile Virus risks. All the models of geographic Information systems with the help of zip codes are being summarized to get precise and accurate data. Overall results indicate that more than 65 percent of human case occurred in the high risk category. It concludes that Geographic Information System models capable of giving right data and results to the health official and physicians. Results indicate non uniform distribution of risks across the state in both urban and rural areas.

These models limitation includes human data resolution, zip code aggregation issues and preciseness of the vegetation and stream density layers. So one can predict the outbreaks with the help of these models