Health GIS Tidbits
Like many plant species, those used for traditional Chinese medicine are competing for space with other plants, animals and man. A study in China aimed to determine suitable growing locations for Rheum tanguticum Maxim, aka Chinese Rhubarb, an herb used for treatment of various ailments including those of the stomach.
“An improved version of GIS-based program for the distribution prediction of traditional Chinese medicine (TCMGIS-II) was employed to integrate national geographic, climate and soil type databases of China. ...Results: A total of 660 counties of 17 provinces in China, covering a land area of 3.63x106 km2, shared similar ecological factors with those of native habitats appropriate for R.”
- 7th Space based a paper in Chinese Medicine
85% of all natural disaster-related fatalities occur in Asia, according to the World Health Organization. And in late August, representatives from 13 countries will meet in Vietnam to address the widespread occurrence of disaster-related fatalities in Asia and how to better prepare for them in the future.
Researchers at USC set out answer this question: “Can hospital (Emergency Department) surveillance data reveal fine scale spatial variation in diabetes related conditions for a highly vulnerable population?” I’m really not sure of their conclusion since I don’t really understand the abstract or the paper (pdf). Perhaps a reader can help explain the results.
- via 7th Space
