DISASTER IN COLUMBUS: Environmental Health

Tracking Crispin Pierce, PhD

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Environmental Public Health Tracking What is GPS and how does it work? Uses of GPS in environmental health CDC Environmental health tracking Examples:

Disaster Preparation Disease Tracking Tracking Human Activity Planning and Services

Other Geographic Tools DISASTER STRIKES!

Outline

CDC: “EPHT is the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data on environmental hazards, exposures to those hazards, and health effects that may be related to the exposures. The goal of tracking is to provide information that can be used to plan, apply, and evaluate actions to prevent and control environmentally related diseases.”

Environmental Public Health Tracking

• “GPS (Global Positioning System) A means to determine a position on Earth, in any weather. The system includes a minimum of 24 GPS satellites that orbit at 11,000 nautical miles above the Earth … The satellites transmit signals that can be detected by anyone with a GPS receiver. With use of the receiver, a location can be determined [within] 10 to 100 meters …”(CDC National Environmental Health Tracking Program)

What is GPS?

Vehicle-Based GPS(www.funponsel.com)

Hand-Held GPS (www.buzzillions.com)

Global Positioning System (GPS) devices receive signals from orbiting satellites to identify a location on Earth (latitude, longitude, and elevation).

Signal strength is lessened in valleys, under tree canopies, and within buildings.

The data collected by GPS devices are transferred to Geographic Information Systems (GIS, software on a computer) for use and analysis.

How Does It Work?

(From Pacific Emprints, http://www.hawaiipublichealth.org/PDF/19June2007/JCasken1045Track3.pdf)

“What is the distribution of asthma cases? “What hazards are present within some distance

(e.g., 5 miles) of these asthma cases? “What is the distribution of birth defects within this

region? “Where are the water wells that do not meet water

quality standards?”(CDC EPHT Program)

Uses of GPS in Environmental Health

“The purpose of the CDC’s Tracking Program is to establish a nationwide tracking network to obtain integrated health and environmental data and use it to provide information in support of actions that improve the health of communities.”

CDC Environmental National Environmental Public Health

Tracking Program

Disaster Preparation

(From Pacific Emprints)

(From Pacific Emprints)

Oahu Online

Disease Tracking

(From Pacific Emprints)

(From Pacific Emprints)

“The Pesticide Exposure Pathways Project at the University of Washington’s Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research uses environmental modeling, environmental sampling, child activity analysis, biological monitoring and analysis of aerial photography to characterize the exposure pathways for children living in agricultural communities.”

Use of GPS to Track Human Activity

“This photo is of a child wearing a GPS-PAL in a vest. The dashed lines indicate location of components inside the vest. Clothing does not block reception.”

“The resolution of the child-worn GPS-PAL tracking system can differentiate between distinct inside and outside areas. The dashed lines indicate the path of a child over

the course of a day.”

“When a plan of a structure is laid over the child’s path, the GPS-PAL system can track inside structures as well.”

Portland Metro

Planning and Service Delivery in the Built Environment

http://www.terraserver.com/ Google Maps Google Earth

Other Geographic Tools

Choose a team to join:Dirty bomb radiationChemical spillParticulate air pollutionSound pollutionElectromagnetic fields (EMF)WISER Online hazardous spill management

DISASTER STRIKES!

Join your team Read the disaster response directions Gather your equipment Take to the field Return to the classroom and report

Basic Navigational Tools

http://www.gpswaypoints.co.za/images/FAQ_Lat_long.gif

Latitude is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds of a point north or south of the Equator. Lines of latitude are often referred to as parallels.

Longitude is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds, of a point east or west of the Prime (Greenwich) Meridian. Lines of longitude are often referred to as meridians.

Courtesy of WorldAtlas.com

Using the Garmin etrex

http://www.tramsoft.ch/gps/garmin_etrex-vista-color_overview_en.jpg

Thanks for Your Attention and Participation!

Crispin Pierce piercech@uwec.edu 715-836-5589

For More Information