1. Open Source GIS: Opportunities for Extending the Public Health Enterprise James L. Tobias, MSc., GISP Northrop Grumman contractor for the CDC Center for Global Health, Division of Global HIV / AIDS, Data Management Team
Introduction
Results / Examples of Hybrid GIS:
Discussion and Conclusion:
What is “Hybrid GIS” ?
Extending the Public Health Enterprise:
Hybrid GIS: A Venn Diagram
Gridded Population of the World:
Challenges for Open Source GIS and Hybrid GIS
Screenshot of open source GIS leveraging the
Columbia University Gridded Population of the World service. (using the uDig software).
A new paradigm is forming within the public health geospatial enterprise and this is the notion of “Hybrid GIS”.
Hybrid GIS will leverage all of the power of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) GIS software as well as open source GIS.
Open Source GIS will be used not to replace COTS software but rather to extend the benefits of GIS to the entire public health enterprise.
Open Source GIS will create a demand for GIS Services throughout the enterprise.
Open Source GIS can provide free GIS client tools to the entire enterprise for consumption of authoritative web services.
Open Source GIS can unlock the geospatial potential of the public health enterprise.
Open Source GIS can extend the Scientific Method to GIS.
Commercial GIS Software are utilized within nearly all of the 50 state health departments and within over 100 Ministries of Health around the globe.
There are recurring costs associated with commercial GIS software and it is difficult to extend licenses to all potential end users within the domain of Public Health.
Open Source GIS tools can be used to extend basic GIS software and clients to users that would otherwise be excluded from participation within traditional enterprise GIS.
Open Source GIS tools can consume Web Mapping Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS) that are authored and served with commercial GIS software.
Open Source GIS tools now have many resources such as Wikis, Forums, Online Communities, User Manuals, Tutorials, Videos, and more.
Open Source GIS software extends the reach of commercial GIS and provides access to more end users of GIS within the enterprise of Public Health.
ESRI promotes “Hybrid GIS” in the Spring 2011 edition of ArcNews;
Open source GIS can be utilized with Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) GIS software in what is known as “Hybrid GIS”.
The Hybrid model can utilize open source GIS to extend the enterprise of public health GIS by providing greater access to software and services.
Open source programming languages such as Python are utilized by both Commercial and Open Source GIS software tools and can be encapsulated to form widgets that can be reused.
Open source tools such as R have increasing adoption within Public Health and the corporate marketplace.
Commercial software such as ArcGIS provide toolboxes that allow integration with tools such as R.
Hybrid GIS could be utilized to build a Cyberinfrastructure for GIS and GIScience for international public health.
References:
Opportunities to Extend the Enterprise:
Python and Orange Data Mining:
Quantum GIS leveraging Open Streetmap:
gvSIG: open source desktop and mobile GIS:
Ford, R Integrating GIS Into eHealth Initiatives in Africa. Final Report. Ver 8. Nov
Hightower, A. and Klein, R Building a Geographic Information System (GIS) Public Health Infrastructure for Research and Control of Tropical Diseases. Emerging Infectious Diseases 1(4):
Ramsey, P The State of Open Source GIS. FOSS4G 2007 Conference.
Steiniger, S. and E. Bocher (2009): An overview on current free and open source Desktop GIS developments. International Journal of Geographical Information Sciences 29 (10):
ESRI ArcNews Spring 2011 edition:,
Wright, D Cyberinfrastructure for GIScience. URL:
Vanmeulebrouk, B., Rivett, U., Ricketts, A., and Loudon, M. Open Source GIS for HIV/AIDS Management.
International Journal of Health Geographics , 7:29
OPEN SOURCE GIS can extend GIS to everyone:
Screenshot of gvSIG and vector layers
Source:
PROGRAMMING AT THE SPEED OF THOUGHT:
Python is an open source programming language that is the backbone of geoprocessing with many GIS software tools.. Python can be encapsulated into widgets (as within Orange Data Mining) and these widgets can be connected to rapidly build applications for exploratory data analyses.
Screenshot of Quantum GIS and Open Streetmap
Source:
Open Source GIS Client tools for all public health users
Free Open Source GIS training materials
Open Source GIS Wikis
Open Source GIS Forums
Free Tutorials and Videos
Access Authoritative web services within client tools
Provide access to GIS and training for entire enterprise
Create a Geospatial Platform for Science
Create a new scientific dialogue within a spatial context
Create open source workflows and models
Realize a geospatial scientific methodology
“Hybrid” GIS approach leverages COTS and Open Source
Stand upon the shoulders of giants and see farther…..
Methods:
Questions ? :
OpenJump: Open source Desktop GIS
R Graphical Manual: An index of R codes
Open Source GIS extends investment in
Commercial GIS and creates more demand
for GIS within the Public Health Enterprise:
Leverage best of COTS and Open Source GIS
Source:
Screenshot of OpenJump with vector layers
Source:
James L. Tobias, MSc., GISP
Sr. GIS Developer
Northrop Grumman
LINKEDIN:
Use the “Hybrid” GIS approach to leverage the best of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) GIS and Open Source GIS
Install open source GIS software on laptop (non-CDC laptop) and try to leverage authoritative GIS web services from USGS, NOAA, EPA, ESRI, and other agencies / groups.
Install R and GIS packages for R and explore code to build and share GIS maps with open source code.
Leverage the R toolbox within ArcGIS 10 and examine the integration of a Commercial GIS software with R.
Explore the ArcPy module within ArcGIS 10 and examine how the Commercial GIS software are leveraging open source Python code to automate map production.
Open Source GIS can extend GIS software, tools, data, training and resources to the edge of the public health enterprise.
Low-resource agencies and nations can use Open Source GIS and leverage authoritative geospatial services.
Open Source GIS supplements Commercial GIS and extends basic GIS functionality to more end-users.
Hybrid GIS combines the commercial and open source GIS to extend the enterprise and provide services to those that previously would have been excluded.
Greater use of GIS and geospatial services creates more demand for both commercial and open source GIS.
Center for Global Health