Implementing a Geospatial Health Data Infrastructure for Control of Asian Schistosomiasis in the People's Republic of China and the Philippines

This review focuses on implementing a geospatial health infrastructure for control of schistosomiasis and other helminthic infections in Southeast Asia, with special focus on the People's Republic of China and the Philippines, using a model working group approach. Health workers have lagged in utilization of geospatial analysis and widely available, low-cost spatial data resources for epidemiological modelling and control programme management. The critical limitation on development of useful health applications to date has not been the availability of geospatial data and methods. Rather, the key barriers have been the speed of adoption of geospatial analysis tools by health scientists and the quality of geographic information system (GIS)-friendly medical databases. Regional GIS applications on Asian schistosomiasis are reviewed to illustrate recent geospatial health analysis applications. A model programme is presented for implementation of training programmes and establishment of regional working groups to facilitate development and use of geospatial health infrastructure resources by health workers in Southeast Asia.