Symbols and colours can communicate detail or the relative importance of certain features. Malaria control program staff tend to be familiar with maps, using them for their daily activities. Maps can consequently be used to communicate ideas and explanations about the determinants of malaria and strategies of control. A map's heuristic potential can also be exploited as the medium of communication between a control program and the public. Data may be selected according to geographic criteria or content using some form of Structured Query Language.
Geometric operations involve the computation of distance, areas, volumes, and directions.
Flow analyses calculate geometric computations to find the shortest routes between designated points. This type of analysis is frequently important for the planning, logistics, and operation of malaria control programs. Statistical operations are performed primarily on attribute data, but may also be applied to some types of geometric data. Most GIS support a range of statistical operations, including sum, maxima, minima, average, frequency distribution, bidirectional comparison, standard deviation, and multivariate analysis. The relation between these clusters and environmental or socioeconomic characteristics can then be investigated.