Beyond mapping: a case for geospatial analytics in humanitarian health

Greenough, P. Gregg; Nelson, Erica L.

doi:10.1186/s13031-019-0234-9

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…As previously discussed, although geospatial analyses are becoming increasingly commonplace in stable contexts, they remain underutilised in the humanitarian health space apart from basic thematic mapping, infectious disease modelling, and a handful of other research applications. 13 If operationalised further, these tools could greatly inform resource allocation decisions that are too often based upon fragmented and incomplete data, with ramifications that affect millions. 7 , 8 With access to data becoming harder, the need for innovative evidence generation is real.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, to the extent that humanitarians have applied geospatial techniques in health responses, the focus has largely been on thematic mapping, that is, making maps showing basic geocoded information or simple relationships. 13 Some progress has been made using geospatial techniques to track population movements after natural disasters (eg, Nepal in 2015), model infectious disease outbreaks, and estimate mortality in conflict-affected settings. 14 , 15 However, beyond these applications, geospatial analytics remain under-utilised in the humanitarian health sector, particularly for generating data to guide real-time decision making around service delivery and health system planning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 14 , 15 However, beyond these applications, geospatial analytics remain under-utilised in the humanitarian health sector, particularly for generating data to guide real-time decision making around service delivery and health system planning. 13 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimating access to health care in Yemen, a complex humanitarian emergency setting: a descriptive applied geospatial analysis

Garber¹,

Fox²,

Abdalla³

et al. 2020

The Lancet Global Health

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Background In conflict settings, data to guide humanitarian and development responses are often scarce. Although geospatial analyses have been used to estimate health-care access in many countries, such techniques have not been widely applied to inform real-time operations in protracted health emergencies. Doing so could provide a more robust approach for identifying and prioritising populations in need, targeting assistance, and assessing impact. We aimed to use geospatial analyses to overcome such data gaps in Yemen, the site of one of the world's worst ongoing humanitarian crises. Methods We derived geospatial coordinates, functionality, and service availability data for Yemen health facilities from the Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System assessment done by WHO and the Yemen Ministryof Public Health and Population. We modelled population spatial distribution using high-resolution satellite imagery, UN population estimates, and census data. A road network grid was built from OpenStreetMap and satellite data and modified using UN Yemen Logistics Cluster data and other datasets to account for lines of conflict and road accessibility. Using this information, we created a geospatial network model to deduce the travel time of Yemeni people to their nearest health-care facilities.Findings In 2018, we estimated that nearly 8•8 million (30•6%) of the total estimated Yemeni population of 28•7 million people lived more than 30-min travel time from the nearest fully or partially functional public primary health-care facility, and more than 12•1 million (42•4%) Yemeni people lived more than 1 h from the nearest fully or partially functional public hospital, assuming access to motorised transport. We found that access varied widely by district and type of health service, with almost 40% of the population living more than 2 h from comprehensive emergency obstetric and surgical care. We identified and ranked districts according to the number of people living beyond acceptable travel times to facilities and services. We found substantial variability in access and that many front-line districts were among those with the poorest access.Interpretation These findings provide the most comprehensive estimates of geographical access to health care in Yemen since the outbreak of the current conflict, and they provide proof of concept for how geospatial techniques can be used to address data gaps and rigorously inform health programming. Such information is of crucial importance for humanitarian and development organisations seeking to improve effectiveness and accountability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Estimating access to health care in Yemen, a complex humanitarian emergency setting: a descriptive applied geospatial analysis

Garber¹,

Fox²,

Abdalla³

et al. 2020

The Lancet Global Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In humanitarian practice, geospatial methods have been applied in diverse situations, for example to track population displacement, conduct forensic analysis of attacks on health facilities, develop early warning systems for epidemics, or estimate conflict-related environmental damage. 2 , 3 Such applications have been narrow in scope, largely focused on generating maps; more sophisticated applications, such as complex patterning and predictive modelling, are not used. 2 Geospatial analysis is gaining traction in global health research.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 2 , 3 Such applications have been narrow in scope, largely focused on generating maps; more sophisticated applications, such as complex patterning and predictive modelling, are not used. 2 Geospatial analysis is gaining traction in global health research. Two journals, International Journal of Health Geographics , launched in 2002, and Geospatial Health , launched in 2006, are dedicated to its application.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%