Webinar Insights
Use of Geospatial Data Analytics in Addressing Health Issues of Inequitable Access in Health Systems
Centre for Health Systems Research & Implementation, Sambodhi
Online
Friday, August 30th, 2024, | 3:00pm – 4:15 pm
Summary Note
Centre for Health System Research & Implementation at Sambodhi organized a webinar on “The Use of Geospatial Data Analytics in Addressing Health Issues of Inequitable Access in Health Systems”. This session was part of a larger webinar series planned, focusing on diverse aspects of Health System Strengthening, addressing key topics such as inequities, digital health potential, climate resilience, gender dynamics and others.
The session provided a comprehensive exploration of how geospatial data analysis contributes to building health system resilience, promoting equity, and improving access to healthcare. In addition to discussing the critical skills necessary for proficiency in geospatial analysis, the session demonstrated practical applications of open-source data to strengthen system resilience. The focus on geospatial and PCA techniques underscored their importance in optimizing healthcare accessibility and guiding infrastructure planning.
Discussion and Q&A
Key Takeaways from Q&A
Incorporating travel time, along with factors such as elevation, natural and artificial barriers, and traffic conditions, which can add significant nuance to geospatial analyses was discussed. Dr. Sanjay elaborated on the application of PCA in analyzing road traffic and accident data. He underlined the importance of using additional data sources, such as GPS coordinates and road conditions, to enhance the analysis. He also addressed the challenges of multicollinearity and how PCA can help simplify complex datasets to identify accident patterns.
The panel in their answer to the importance of spatially referenced data, emphasized the critical importance of accurately spatially referenced data for health-related analyses, highlighting how reliable spatial reference systems are essential for effective geospatial studies.
Additionally, the panel also discussed how PCA can be applied to profile beneficiaries for health insurance schemes, particularly when direct wealth data is unavailable. Dr. Sanjay recommended using proxy variables, such as employment status or household characteristics, and leveraging PCA to cluster beneficiaries, thereby facilitating a more equitable distribution of resources.
Closing Remarks:
Piyush highlighted the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to develop ethical frameworks for sharing geospatial data, crucial for public health planning while ensuring privacy. He emphasized, “We live in a world of finite resources, and as monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) practitioners, we can optimize resource allocation by leveraging geospatial data analytics.”
Dr. Sanjay reinforced the transformative potential of PCA and geospatial analysis in healthcare. “At the heart of geospatial data analytics lies the ability to solve problems and think critically.”
The session was concluded by Dr Anuradha, who emphasized the importance of creating an ecosystem involving policymakers, stakeholders, urban planners, researchers, and academicians to make data available for various types of analytics.
Video
Panelists
The webinar on Geospatial Analytics and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in healthcare was attended by ____ participants and featured insights from two distinguished panelists, Dr Sanjay Fuloria and Piyush Kumar, with moderation by Dr Anuradha.
Speakers
Dr Anuradha, Deputy Vice President of Public Health Practices at Sambodhi, opened the webinar by introducing the Center for Health Systems Research and Implementation, at Sambodhi. She emphasized its goal to bridge the gap between research and implementation in building resilient health systems. She welcomed the panelists and attendees while setting the stage for the discussion by emphasizing the significance of geospatial analysis in enhancing health system resilience. She also laid the foundation for the conversation on the essential skills researchers need to develop expertise in this field.
Piyush in his presentation showcased the importance of geospatial data in health, highlighting its role in tracking pandemics, healthcare planning, vaccine distribution, addressing maternal mortality, tropical diseases, and climate impacts on marginalized communities. He also highlighted the significant opportunities in the field of geospatial analysis, including integrating geospatial data with AI and machine learning to tackle global health equity, along with the need for scalable data infrastructure for broader impact. He identified four key areas where geospatial analytics assist MEL practitioners: access to healthcare assessment, regional health outcomes, disease spread, and resource optimization. He underscored the quality of data, particularly in LMICs where reliable geospatial data is often lacking.
During the demonstration, Piyush showed how geospatial data can be leveraged to plan health infrastructure using an example from the Greater Toronto Area. The purpose of the analysis was to identify clusters of motor vehicle collisions and assess hospital coverage while highlighting the use of tools like Python (GeoPandas and Folium). He also emphasized integrating travel time and traffic data in the analysis, adding more depth to the findings.
Piyush in his presentation showcased the importance of geospatial data in health, highlighting its role in tracking pandemics, healthcare planning, vaccine distribution, addressing maternal mortality, tropical diseases, and climate impacts on marginalized communities. He also highlighted the significant opportunities in the field of geospatial analysis, including integrating geospatial data with AI and machine learning to tackle global health equity, along with the need for scalable data infrastructure for broader impact. He identified four key areas where geospatial analytics assist MEL practitioners: access to healthcare assessment, regional health outcomes, disease spread, and resource optimization. He underscored the quality of data, particularly in LMICs where reliable geospatial data is often lacking.
During the demonstration, Piyush showed how geospatial data can be leveraged to plan health infrastructure using an example from the Greater Toronto Area. The purpose of the analysis was to identify clusters of motor vehicle collisions and assess hospital coverage while highlighting the use of tools like Python (GeoPandas and Folium). He also emphasized integrating travel time and traffic data in the analysis, adding more depth to the findings.
Document
Presentations made during the event
Links
Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on a Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution Prevention | UNEP
Road to OEWG 3 | Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution
Developing a Global Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution Prevention
Geneva Addressing Hazardous Substances
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