Ellen F. Heineman, Ph.D. National Cancer Institute Epidemiology & Genetics Research Program The GIS for the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project

The northeastern United States has had high rates of breast cancer The LIBCSP focuses on Long Island - Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York

Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP) Part of the overall research approach of the National Institutes of Health Mandated by Public Law Funded and coordinated by NCI and NIEHS Consists of more than 10 research studies Includes a GIS

Long Island GIS Objectives Develop an effective tool for investigating environmental factors that may contribute to breast cancer Help share health related and environmental information with the community

What questions can be addressed? What are the rates of breast cancer in the community (overall, in smaller areas)? Can we identify clusters of cases, or areas with significantly higher rates? Where might exposures of interest (to scientists, to the community) come from? Are there correlations -- spatial relationships - - between disease and potential exposures? More sophisticated: Are potential environmental exposures linked with breast cancer, taking other factors into account?

Example: Are disease rates “near” waste sites the same as in areas outside the buffers?

Geographic extent of the GIS

Datasets will include Geospatial Demographic Health Environment – Federal – State – County – Private

Geospatial Base Maps: – Cadastral Data (tax lots, parcels) – Political Boundaries – Roads – Railroads – Hydrology (water supply, rivers, streams) – Aerial Photography and Satellite Imagery

Demographic Census Data: –Counts of the population –Descriptive information about individuals Age Race Gender Income groupings –Descriptive information about households Type and age of housing Rural or urban National Nutritional Health and Lifestyle Survey

Health Medical outcomes –State Cancer Registry –Medicare –Hospital discharges Medical facilities

Environmental Land use and land cover Utilities (electrical, gas, water…) Traffic volume Hazardous materials: usage, storage, and disposal Pesticide / chemical use or contamination Industrial release of chemicals to air, water, and soil continued…

Environmental, continued Air quality monitoring results Drinking water analysis (pesticides, metals, volatile organic compounds) Weather and climate information Radiation information

On the web at…

Progress on development of the GIS Supplementary info, links Town meetings Future: maps and information for public li.com

Important issues Data are imperfect –Examples: addresses, sparse data, data collected for other purposes –Potential exposure not necessarily actual exposure –Time frame and latency of cancer –Substitutions and additions may be recommended as we go along The website will not include software The eye is not a good analytic tool Confidentiality

Unique aspects of the GIS for the LIBCSP Concerted investment of effort and funds to integrate GIS into an epidemiologic study of breast cancer Community input and access Systematic attempt to include high quality data, comprehensive metadata A prototype and resource for future studies