Stensgaard Anna-Sofie, Saarnak Christopher F L, Utzinger Jürg, Vounatsou Penelope, Simoonga Christopher, Mushinge Gabriel, Rahbek Carsten, Møhlenberg Flemming, Kristensen Thomas K
Center for Macroecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Geospat Health. 2009 May;3(2):127-41. doi: 10.4081/gh.2009.216.
The rapidly growing field of three-dimensional software modeling of the Earth holds promise for applications in the geospatial health sciences. Easy-to-use, intuitive virtual globe technologies such as Google Earth enable scientists around the world to share their data and research results in a visually attractive and readily understandable fashion without the need for highly sophisticated geographical information systems (GIS) or much technical assistance. This paper discusses the utility of the rapid and simultaneous visualization of how the agents of parasitic diseases are distributed, as well as that of their vectors and/or intermediate hosts together with other spatially-explicit information. The resulting better understanding of the epidemiology of infectious diseases, and the multidimensional environment in which they occur, are highlighted. In particular, the value of Google Earth, and its web-based pendant Google Maps, are reviewed from a public health view point, combining results from literature searches and experiences gained thus far from a multidisciplinary project aimed at optimizing schistosomiasis control and transmission surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the basic analytical capabilities of virtual globe applications are limited, we conclude that they have considerable potential in the support and promotion of the geospatial health sciences as a userfriendly, straightforward GIS tool for the improvement of data collation, visualization and exploration. The potential of these systems for data sharing and broad dissemination of scientific research and results is emphasized.
快速发展的地球三维软件建模领域有望应用于地理空间健康科学。像谷歌地球这样易于使用且直观的虚拟地球技术，使世界各地的科学家能够以视觉上吸引人且易于理解的方式分享他们的数据和研究成果，而无需高度复杂的地理信息系统（GIS）或大量技术支持。本文讨论了快速同时可视化寄生虫病病原体及其媒介和/或中间宿主与其他空间明确信息的分布情况的效用。强调了由此对传染病流行病学及其发生的多维环境有更好的理解。特别是，从公共卫生角度对谷歌地球及其基于网络的同类产品谷歌地图的价值进行了综述，结合了文献检索结果以及到目前为止从一个旨在优化撒哈拉以南非洲血吸虫病控制和传播监测的多学科项目中获得的经验。尽管虚拟地球应用的基本分析能力有限，但我们得出结论，作为一种用户友好、简单直接的GIS工具，用于改进数据整理、可视化和探索，它们在支持和促进地理空间健康科学方面具有相当大的潜力。强调了这些系统在数据共享以及广泛传播科研和成果方面的潜力。
