John Snow conducted in 1854 a classic investigation that used maps to determine the London cholera epidemic's water source. But with improved methods of precise data capture, greater data storage capacity and increasingly faster processing speeds, the use of spatial data in public health has come a long way since Snow's maps. Federal agencies are sharing resources, creating datasets and using GIS applications for data analysis in public health programs. For example, NASA's Center for Health Applications of Aerospace Related Technologies, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed cooperative programs on applying GIS and remote sensing to the study of human disease, including Lyme disease, the Ebola virus and cholera. The files are well documented and encompass many data categories.
Data are available in many formats.
NCHS participates in Fedstats, a new virtual statistical agency of the Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy. Fedstats provides a single access point for federal statistics from member agencies, allowing users to browse federal agency sites and search for data by agency, region and topic. Knowing which agency provides which data isn't necessary to successfully search Fedstats. The site provides links to member agencies and summarizes by topic each agency's statistical sources and programs, including health, environment, natural resources and transportation. The site also offers links to more than 10 government agencies involved in public health research and data collection, as well as links to many statistical agencies outside the United States.