By Margaret Henderson
Source: Presentation: "So You Want to Draw a Map - Considerations for GIS" by
Clark Eldredge of the Florida Department of Health at the 25th National Radon Training Conference held in September 2015.
Considerations for using GIS (Geographic Information System) in making maps about radon were presented by Clark Eldredge of the Florida Department of Health at the 25th National Radon Training Conference held in September 2015. The event is sponsored by CRCPD with financial assistance from EPA.
GIS, a computer based system, provides the means to use databases and locational details to relate information to positions on the earth’s surface.
Mr. Eldredge advised about the use of mapping tools and discussed the considerations, terms, definitions, technicalities of GIS and the type of maps that could be created. To tell the story you want to present, Mr. Eldridge suggests asking yourself:
• What do you want to know or say?
• What data sets are available?
• What tools are available?
• Can you clearly state what you know?
• Can you clearly state what you do not know?
He discussed data sets, lab results, your responsibility for standards and quality of the data, and the importance of understanding the limitations of the data.
In a slide presentation, Mr. Eldridge presented detailed information about using GIS, including definitions, map types, and he gave references to tools for using GIS as given in the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_geographic_information_systems_software which lists 78 proprietary and open source GIS tools.
For examples of the Florida Department of Health radon mapping, visit http://www.floridahealth.gov/Environmental-Health/radon/radon-menu.html.
For more information and detail, contact:
Clark Eldredge
Florida Department of Health
Division of Disease Control and Health Protection
Bureau of Environmental Health
Public Health Toxicology Section
Radon and Indoor Air Program
850-245-4288
clark.eldredge@flhealth.gov
http://radon.floridahealth.gov
United States