Online Interactive Map Research Articles

Fryer Lecture Awardee: HIV Epidemic Revealed Inequities That Persist Today

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Annual MeetingFull AccessFryer Lecture Awardee: HIV Epidemic Revealed Inequities That Persist TodayMark MoranMark MoranSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:28 Jun 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.07.7.29AbstractKenneth Bryan Ashley said that the South is home to the highest percentage of gay and bisexual men living with HIV. Poverty, lack of health insurance, lack of education, low household income, and food insecurity—which are more pronounced in the South—affect the health of people living with HIV.HIV/AIDS, like COVID-19, has revealed health inequities and the influence of social determinants of health on disease, said Kenneth Bryan Ashley, M.D., who delivered this year’s John Fryer Award Lecture at APA’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans.He is an associate professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, an attending psychiatrist in the Division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and director of Outpatient C-L Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. He is also the psychiatric liaison to the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery Post-Surgical Gender Affirmation Surgery Service.Amir Ahuja, M.D., president of the Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists (right), presents the John Fryer Award to Kenneth Bryan Ashley, M.D.Oscar & AssociatesAshley provided an overview of the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its changing demographics and regional incidence. “The HIV epidemic epicenter in the U.S. began in coastal major metropolitan areas,” he said. “The current HIV epidemic in the U.S. is focused in the South.”Ashley said the South (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.) accounted for 53% of all new HIV cases in 2019. Within that region, Black people, who represent 19% of the population, accounted for 50% of all new HIV cases in 2019. Hispanic people accounted for 24% of all new cases. White people and others accounted for 26%.Citing statistics from AIDSVu, an interactive online mapping tool that visualizes the impact of the HIV epidemic on communities across the United States, Ashley said that the South is home to the highest percentage of gay and bisexual men (44%) living with HIV and that they are more likely to experience discrimination. Moreover, negative social determinants of health—poverty, lack of health insurance, lack of education, low household income, and food insecurity—are more pronounced in the South, and all of them affect the health of people living with HIV. For instance, 14.3% of people in the South lack health insurance compared with 10.4% of people nationwide.Ashley also discussed “Ending the Epidemic: A Plan for America (ETE),” initiated in 2019 by the Department of Health and Human Services. The multi-year program will infuse 48 counties; Washington, D.C.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and seven states that have a substantial rural HIV burden with the additional expertise, technology, and resources needed to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. The goal is a 75% reduction in new HIV cases in five years and a 90% reduction in 10 years.“ETE can reduce rates of new HIV infections in targeted groups, but it will not resolve inequities,” Ashley said. “Structural racism and social determinants of health must be addressed as part of the ETE to hope to address health inequities. Engagement with community-based HIV and health organizations will be vital to addressing health inequities.”Ashley has been active in APA at both the district branch and the national levels. He is an Assembly representative of the New York County Psychiatric Society and former president. He is also co-chair of the New York State Psychiatric Association Committee on Structural Racism. He is active in the APA mentors program, as well as a member of APA’s National Minority Mentor Network, and serves on APA’s Council on Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.He is the former president of the Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists and the Society for Liaison Psychiatry, the New York regional organization of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. He is a senior fellow of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) and a member of the LGBTQ Committee.The John Fryer Award, sponsored by APA and the Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists, is given to individuals whose work has contributed to the improvement of mental health of sexual minority communities. It is named in honor of the psychiatrist who was part of the protest by gay psychiatrists at APA’s 1972 Annual Meeting that led to the removal of homosexuality from DSM the following year. John Fryer, M.D., appeared at the meeting in a mask as Dr. Henry Anonymous and testified about the barriers confronting gay psychiatrists. ■ResourcesInformation about Ending the HIV Epidemic ISSUES NewArchived

Sociodemographic inequalities in uranium and other metals in community water systems across the USA, 2006–11: a cross-sectional study

SummaryBackgroundThe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for ten metals or metalloids in public drinking water systems. Our objective was to estimate metal concentrations in community water systems (CWSs) across the USA, to establish if sociodemographic or regional inequalities in the metal concentrations exist, and to identify patterns of concentrations for these metals as a mixture.MethodsWe evaluated routine compliance monitoring records for antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium, thallium, and uranium, collected from 2006–11 (2000–11 for uranium; timeframe based on compliance monitoring requirements) by the US EPA in support of their second and third Six-Year Reviews for CWSs. Arsenic, barium, chromium, selenium, and uranium (detectable in >10% records) were included in the main analyses (subgroup and metal mixture analyses; arsenic data reported previously). We compared the mean, 75th percentile, and 95th percentile contaminant concentrations and the percentage of CWSs with concentrations exceeding the MCL across subgroups (region, sociodemographic county-cluster, size of population served, source water type, and CWSs exclusively serving correctional facilities). We evaluated patterns in CWS metal concentration estimate profiles via hierarchical cluster analysis. We created an online interactive map and dashboard of estimated CWS metal concentrations for use in future analyses.FindingsAverage metal concentrations were available for a total of 37 915 CWSs across the USA. The total number of monitoring records available was approximately 297 000 for arsenic, 165 000 for barium, 167 000 for chromium, 165 000 for selenium, and 128 000 for uranium. The percentage of analysed CWSs with average concentrations exceeding the MCL was 2·6% for arsenic (MCL=10 μg/L; nationwide mean 1·77 μg/L; n=36 798 CWSs), 2·1% for uranium (MCL=30 μg/L; nationwide mean 4·37 μg/L; n=14 503 CWSs), and less than 0·1% for the other metals. The number of records with detections was highest for uranium (63·1%). 75th and 95th percentile concentrations for uranium, chromium, barium, and selenium were highest for CWSs serving Semi-Urban, Hispanic communities, CWSs reliant on groundwater, and CWSs in the Central Midwest. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two distinct clusters: an arsenic–uranium–selenium cluster and a barium–chromium cluster.InterpretationsUranium is an under-recognised contaminant in CWSs. Metal concentrations (including uranium) are elevated in CWSs serving Semi-Urban, Hispanic communities independent of location or region, highlighting environmental justice concerns.FundingUS National Institutes of Health Office of the Director, US National Institutes for Environmental Health Sciences, and US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Research avenues for amplifying Indigenous radio.

In this article,I discuss Indigenous radio's ongoing importance for tribal communities in the US from my perspective as a settler scholar, drawing on multifaceted research into Indigenous radio'sprogrammecontent and production practices before and during the pandemic.For this research, 'Indigenous radio' refers to radio produced, managed, presented and/ or owned by tribal communities. Other terms in use to describe Indigenous radio include Native American, Indian, or tribal radio, demonstrating that there is not a singleuniversalisingterm and reflecting a diversity in tribal cultures, languages and practices more generally. Building on this understanding of the inherent diversity of Indigenous radio, I describe the ways in which my overarching research project investigates Indigenous radio holistically, via critical outputs combining a literature review of Indigenous theoretical approaches, an online interactive map of tribal stations and in-depth case studies of tribal stations.Through these, I explorecommunity-building practices of Indigenous radioasproduced through whatIndigenous theorists Glen Coulthard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (2016) termgrounded normativity. Building on thisavenue ofexploration, I suggest the place-based values embedded in Indigenous radio production practices and content can function aseverydayacts of resurgence, following Jeff Corntassel's (2012)conceptualisationof ways in which Indigenous resurgence can reinforce a project ofdecolonisation. Toexemplify andsituate these arguments, Idraw on examples of radio production and practitioner insights from selected tribal stations embodying diversetribal production practices and content, before turning to focus on pandemic practices in Indigenous radio.When the pandemic emerged, myresearchfocusnecessarily widenedto includeand examine COVID-related practices and programming in tribal radio, enablingreflectionon these in the context of a paradigm shiftin which the value of tribal radio's community-building work has become acute.

Indigenous and Migrant Embodied Cartographies

The Odeimin Runners Club is an Indigenous and Black-Persons-of-Colour (IBPOC) media arts collective (the “Collective”) creating an online story map using an open-source satellite mapping platform. By tracing activities and connections in our engagements with each other and our communities, our counter-mapping project re-traces trade and ceremonial routes between the north of Turtle Island and the Caribbean archipelago, linking stories, videos and artworks to traditional territories. This paper addresses the process of a pilot project making three 16mm experimental films. Process cinema methodologies that incorporate plants and organic materials in film processing were applied in the first phase of the project to produce three short films using Bolex film cameras. The films are themed on human survival, land connection, “rematriation” and BIPOC counter-mapping, threading our knowledge and stories together as we visit each other’s territories. In the making, Indigenous and performative cartographic methods were also used to map the inter-relations between the histories and futures of the land. An interactive website was created to integrate these methodologies while giving public access to the films during online exhibitions. The interactivity of the platform establishes connections between the films and filmmakers, both formally and thematically, wherein sharing traditional wisdom, imparting important knowledge, and offering support and strength to one another, facilitate the navigation of current political and environmental instabilities facing the authors’ communities. The authors conclude by suggesting future explorations aimed at building an interactive online mapping experience for communities to deepen and widen connections between their respective communities.

GLOBAL HOSPITALIZATION TRENDS FOR CROHN’S DISEASE AND ULCERATIVE COLITIS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH TEMPORAL ANALYSES

The evolving epidemiologic patterns of IBD throughout the world, in conjunction with advances in therapeutic treatments, may influence hospitalization rates of IBD in the 21st century. We performed a systematic review with temporal analysis of hospitalization rates for IBD across the world in the 21st century. We systematically reviewed MedLine and Embase for population-based studies reporting hospitalization rates for IBD, Crohn’s disease (CD), or ulcerative colitis (UC) since 2000. Log-linear models were used to calculate average annual percentage change (AAPC) with associated 95% confidence intervals (CI). Random effects meta-analysis pooled AAPCs stratified by countries in the Western world (i.e. North America, Western Europe, and Oceania) versus newly industrialized countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Secondarily, we compared hospitalization rates by primary diagnosis of IBD versus all-cause hospitalizations. QGIS 3.44 was used to create a choropleth map of AAPC and ArcGIS Pro 2.4.1 was used to develop an online, interactive map of global hospitalization trends. Data were extracted from 87 studies comprising 42 countries. Overall, hospitalization rates were stable in countries of the Western world for IBD (AAPC=−0.25; 95% CI: −0.90, 0.41, n=22), CD (AAPC=2.76; 95% CI: −0.62, 6.15, n=8), and UC (AAPC=1.44; 95% CI: −1.98, 4.86, n=7) (Table 1). However, heterogeneity between countries was observed, for example, hospitalization rates for CD (−0.02%; 95%CI: −0.52, 0.48) and UC (0.40%; 95%CI: −0.81, 1.63) were stable in the USA, but increasing for CD (2.05%; 95%CI: 1.25, 2.84) and UC (1.69%; 95%CI: 0.99, 2.39) in Portugal (Figure 1). CD and UC hospitalization rates in newly industrialized countries increased in Mexico (CD: 5.21%; 95%CI: 3.07, 7.39; UC: 5.96%; 95%CI: 4.30, 7.64), Chile (CD: 6.03%; 95%CI: 5.21, 6.86; UC: 3.78%; 95%CI: 3.43, 4.13), Bahrain (CD: 12.98%; 95%CI: 7.83, 18.38; UC: 7.27%; 95%CI: 2.12, 12.69), and Hong Kong (CD: 8.67%; 95%CI: 5.81, 11.61; UC: 0.14%; 95%CI: −2.21, 2.53), but significantly decreased in Brazil for CD (−3.22%; 95%CI: −5.24, −1.15) and UC (−3.41; 95%CI: −4.63, −2.18) (Figure 1). Studies that defined hospitalization rates as the primary diagnosis of IBD versus all-cause hospitalizations may explain heterogeneity between countries (Table 1). Hospitalization rates for IBD are stabilizing in North America, Europe, and Oceania. In contrast, newly industrialized countries in Asia and Latin America have rapidly rising hospitalization rates, contributing to an increasing burden on global healthcare systems. Future studies should explore clinical and methodological factors that explain heterogeneity between country-specific hospitalization rates.Figure 1World maps of average annual percent change (AAPC) direction (decreasing, stable, or increasing) for primary hospital discharge rates among persons with inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis. If primary data was unavailable, all-cause or unspecified data was reported (grey countries: insufficient or no data available). An online interactive map reporting on country-specific hospitalization rates is available: https://ucalgary.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=93e520cd04624e128f7acbb238f7ef87View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Global assessment of historical, current and forecast ocean energy infrastructure: Implications for marine space planning, sustainable design and end-of-engineered-life management

Thousands of structures are currently installed in our oceans to help meet our global energy needs. This number is set to increase with the transition to renewable energy, due to lower energy yield per structure, growing energy demand and greater and more diverse use of ocean space (e.g. for food, industrial or scientific activity). A clear and comprehensive picture of the spatial and temporal distribution of ocean energy assets is crucial to inform marine spatial planning, sustainable design of ocean infrastructure and end-of-engineered-life management, to prevent an exponentially increasing asset base becoming an economic and environmental burden.Here we define the spatial and temporal dimensions of the challenge that lies before us through creation of a comprehensive global dataset of past, current and forecast ocean energy infrastructure and offshore energy resources, both hydrocarbon and wind, for the period 1960–2040. The data is collected together for the first time and made available in the public domain through an interactive online map. The resulting oceanscape provides insight into the type, quantity, density and geographic centres of the accumulating asset base, which in turn enables informed consideration of how marine space alongside design and end-of-engineered-life of ocean infrastructure can be managed responsibly and sustainably.

Machine learning takes a village: Assessing neighbourhood-level vulnerability for an overdose and infectious disease outbreak.

Multiple areas in the United States of America (USA) are experiencing high rates of overdose and outbreaks of bloodborne infections, including HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), due to non-sterile injection drug use. We aimed to identify neighbourhoods at increased vulnerability for overdose and infectious disease outbreaks in Rhode Island, USA. The primary aim was to pilot machine learning methods to identify which neighbourhood-level factors were important for creating "vulnerability assessment scores" across the state. The secondary aim was to engage stakeholders to pilot an interactive mapping tool and visualize the results. From September 2018 to November 2019, we conducted a neighbourhood-level vulnerability assessment and stakeholder engagement process named The VILLAGE Project (Vulnerability Investigation of underlying Local risk And Geographic Events). We developed a predictive analytics model using machine learning methods (LASSO, Elastic Net, and RIDGE) to identify areas with increased vulnerability to an outbreak of overdose, HIV and HCV, using census tract-level counts of overdose deaths as a proxy for injection drug use patterns and related health outcomes. Stakeholders reviewed mapping tools for face validity and community distribution. Machine learning prediction models were suitable for estimating relative neighbourhood-level vulnerability to an outbreak. Variables of importance in the model included housing cost burden, prior overdose deaths, housing density, and education level. Eighty-nine census tracts (37%) with no prior overdose fatalities were identified as being vulnerable to such an outbreak, and nine of those were identified as having a vulnerability assessment score in the top 25%. Results were disseminated as a vulnerability stratification map and an online interactive mapping tool. Machine learning methods are well suited to predict neighborhoods at higher vulnerability to an outbreak. These methods show promise as a tool to assess structural vulnerabilities and work to prevent outbreaks at the local level.

Global Incidence of Acute Pancreatitis Is Increasing Over Time: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Acute pancreatitis is a common disease with significant associated morbidity and mortality. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies to explore the changing temporal trends of acute pancreatitis incidence globally. We performed a systematic literature search to identify population-based studies reporting the annual incidence of acute pancreatitis. Abstracts were assessed independently to identify applicable articles for full-text review and data extraction. Joinpoint temporal trend analyses were performed to calculate the average annual percent change (AAPC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The AAPCs were pooled in a meta-analysis to capture the overall and regional trends in acute pancreatitis incidence over time. Temporal data were summarized in a static map and an interactive, web-based map. Forty-four studies reported the temporal incidence of acute pancreatitis (online interactive map: https://kaplan-acute-pancreatitis-ucalgary.hub.arcgis.com/). The incidence of acute pancreatitis has increased from 1961 to 2016 (AAPC, 3.07%; 95% CI, 2.30% to 3.84%; n= 34). Increasing incidence was observed in North America (AAPC, 3.67%; 95% CI, 2.76% to 4.57%; n= 4) and Europe (AAPC, 2.77%; 95% CI, 1.91% to 3.63%; n= 23). The incidence of acute pancreatitis was stable in Asia (AAPC, -0.28%; 95% CI, -5.03% to 4.47%; n= 4). This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the global incidence of acute pancreatitis over the last 56 years and demonstrates a steadily rising incidence over time in most countries of the Western world. More studies are needed to better define the changing incidence of acute pancreatitis in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Mapping the pandemic: teaching critical map literacy with interactive COVID-19 maps

PurposeThis article helps secondary teachers use online maps about the COVID-19 pandemic to develop students' critical map literacy and digital geographic information literacy while helping students analyze the pandemic and its impact on society. The purpose of this paper is to discuss unique features of online maps, suggest six questions to bring to online maps, and provide an activity and resources to develop students' skill in using these maps.Design/methodology/approachFor social studies teachers, online interactive maps create opportunities as well as challenges. They can be more engaging and interesting than static maps. They also show the relevance of key themes in geography as well as the power of maps to convey information. Maps about COVID-19 are used to explore themes in geography.FindingsInterpreting COVID-19 online maps can help students learn about the pandemic, evaluate the decisions of health officials and elected leaders, and thus develop tools to participate in society as active citizens.Originality/valueYoung people and adults are often more engaged by interactive online sources; however, online maps require teachers to develop new approaches to teaching basic and critical map literacy that include elements of digital geographic information literacy. Students can learn to ask questions of maps while learning about COVID-19.

Detection of COVID-19 case clusters in Qu\xe9bec, May\u2013October 2020

ObjectivesThe Quebec Public Health Institute (INSPQ) was mandated to develop an automated tool for detecting space-time COVID-19 case clusters to assist regional public health authorities in identifying situations that require public health interventions. This article aims to describe the methodology used and to document the main outcomes achieved.MethodsNew COVID-19 cases are supplied by the “Trajectoire de santé publique” information system, geolocated to civic addresses and then aggregated by day and dissemination area. To target community-level clusters, cases identified as residents of congregate living settings are excluded from the cluster detection analysis. Detection is performed using the space-time scan statistic and Poisson statistical model, and implemented in the SaTScan software. Information on detected clusters is disseminated daily via an online interactive mapping interface.ResultsThe number of clusters detected tracked with the number of new cases. Slightly more than 4900 statistically significant (p ≤ 0.01) space-time clusters were detected over 14 health regions from May to October 2020. The Montréal region was the most affected.ConclusionConsidering the objective of timely cluster detection, the use of near-real-time health surveillance data of varying quality over time and by region constitutes an acceptable compromise between timeliness and data quality. This tool serves to supplement the epidemiologic investigations carried out by regional public health authorities for purposes of COVID-19 management and prevention.

A Web-Based Interactive Map to Promote Health-Care Facility Flood Preparedness.

Little is known about how flood risk of health-care facilities (HCFs) is evaluated by emergency preparedness professionals and HCFs administrators. This study assessed knowledge of emergency preparedness and HCF management professionals regarding locations of floodplains in relation to HCFs. A Web-based interactive map of floodplains and HCF was developed and users of the map were asked to evaluate it. An online survey was completed by administrators of HCFs and public health emergency preparedness professionals in Illinois, before and after an interactive online map of floodplains and HCFs was provided. Forty Illinois HCFs located in floodplains were identified, including 12 long-term care facilities. Preparedness professionals have limited knowledge of whether local HCFs were in floodplains, and few reported availability of geographic information system (GIS) resources at baseline. Respondents intended to use the interactive map for planning and stakeholder communications. Given that HCFs are located in floodplains, this first assessment of using interactive maps of floodplains and HCFs may promote a shift to reliable data sources of floodplain locations in relation to HCFs. Similar approaches may be useful in other settings.

A246 THE GLOBAL INCIDENCE OF ACUTE PANCREATITIS IS INCREASING OVER TIME: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Abstract Background Acute pancreatitis is a common disease with significant associated morbidity and mortality. Historically, acute pancreatitis has been considered a disease with multiple etiologies and risk factors but is driven by alcohol and biliary disease. Multiple studies have shown that the incidence of acute pancreatitis is increasing globally among both adults and children. Aims The purpose of this study was to assess temporal trends in incidence of acute pancreatitis globally. Methods We performed a systematic literature search to identify population-based studies reporting the annual incidence of acute pancreatitis. Abstracts were independently assessed in duplicate to identify applicable papers for full-text review and data extraction. Joinpoint temporal trend analyses were performed to calculate the average annual percent change (AAPC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The AAPCs were pooled in a meta-analysis to capture the overall and regional trends in acute pancreatitis incidence over time. Temporal data were summarized in a static map and an interactive, web-based map to illustrate global differences. Results Forty-five studies reported the temporal incidence of acute pancreatitis (static map provided, online interactive map: https://kaplan-acute-pancreatitis-ucalgary.hub.arcgis.com/). The incidence of acute pancreatitis has increased from 1961 to 2016 (AAPC = 2.89%; 95% CI: 2.26, 3.52; n=41). Increasing incidence was observed in North America (AAPC = 2.71%; 95% CI: 1.93, 3.50; n=10) and Europe (AAPC = 2.79%; 95% CI: 1.95, 3.63; n=24). The incidence of acute pancreatitis was stable in Asia (AAPC = −0.28%; 95% CI: −5.03, 4.47; n=2). Conclusions This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the global incidence of acute pancreatitis over the last five decades and demonstrates a steadily rising incidence over time in most countries of the Western world. More studies are needed to better define the changing incidence of acute pancreatitis in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Funding Agencies None

Towards a Smart E-Waste System Utilizing Supply Chain Participants and Interactive Online Maps

Efficient electronic waste (e-waste) management is one of the vital strategies to save materials, including critical minerals and precious metals with limited global reserves. The e-waste collection issue has gained increasing attention in recent years, especially in developing countries, due to low collection rates. This study aims to search for progressive solutions in the e-waste collection sphere with close-to-zero transport and infrastructure costs and the minimization of consumers’ efforts towards an enhanced e-waste management efficiency and collection rate. Along these lines, the present paper develops a smart reverse system of e-waste from end-of-life electronics holders to local recycling infrastructures based on intelligent information technology (IT) tools involving local delivery services to collect e-waste and connecting with interactive online maps of users’ requests. This system considers the vehicles of local delivery services as potential mobile collection points that collect and deliver e-waste to a local recycling enterprise with a minimum deviation from the planned routes. Besides e-waste transport and infrastructure costs minimization, the proposed smart e-waste reverse system supports the reduction of CO2 through the optimal deployment of e-waste collection vehicles. The present study also advances a solid rationale for involving local e-waste operators as key stakeholders of the smart e-waste reverse system. Deploying the business model canvas (BMC) toolkit, a business model of the developed system has been built for the case of Sumy city, Ukraine, and discussed in light of recent studies.

Utilization and Usability of Delaware Traffic Management Products: A Survey and Challenges

To address the growing problem of congestion, delays, and overall traffic issues, DelDOT (Delaware Department of Transportation) established the Transportation Management Center (TMC) in 1997. DelDOT-TMC also coordinates and manages DelDOT’s response to any incident that impacts the multimodal transportation system within the state of Delaware. Among other things, DelDOT-TMC collects traffic, roadway weather, and hydrological data using over a thousand monitoring devices installed throughout the state of Delaware. After data has been obtained, DelDOT-TMC analyzes and disseminates real-time travel information to the public through DelDOT’s website (online interactive maps), smartphone application, traffic advisory radio, and social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blog, and Flickr; however, the utilization and usability of this information by the public are, for the most part, unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the global responsibilities of DelDOT-TMC and assess the process that DelDOT-TMC uses to gather, process, analyze, and distribute traffic and roadway weather data to the public. The study employs a survey to assess the utilization of DelDOT-TMC’s products, i.e., DelDOT Mobile App, WTMC 1380 AM travel advisory radio, DelDOT’s public website, DelDOT’s social media, as well as the usability of the DelDOT mobile app to check DART (Delaware Authority for Regional Transportation) First State transit service schedules.

BAO Plate Archive Project: Recent Results

We present the recent results of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) Plate Archive Project that is aimed at digitization, extraction and analysis of archival data and building an electronic database and interactive sky map. BAO Plate Archive consists of some 37,000 photographic plates and films, obtained with 2.6m telescope, 1m and 0.5m Schmidt telescopes and other smaller ones during 1947-1991 and then by digital methods since 1996. Its most important part, the famous Markarian Survey (or the First Byurakan Survey, FBS) 1874 plates were digitized in 2002-2007 and the Digitized FBS (DFBS, www.aras.am/Dfbs/dfbs.html) was created. New science projects have been conducted based on this low-dispersion spectroscopic material. Several other smaller digitization projects have been carried out as well, such as part of the Second Byurakan Survey (SBS) plates, photographic chain plates in Coma, where the blazar ON 231 is located and 2.6m film spectra of FBS Blue Stellar Objects. However, most of the plates and films were not digitized. In 2015, we have started a project on the whole BAO Plate Archive digitization, creation of electronic database and its scientific usage. Armenian Virtual Observatory (ArVO, www.aras.am/Arvo/arvo.htm) database will accommodate all new data. The project lasted 4 years in 2015-2018. Later on, the project was renovated for 2020-2021. The final result will be an Electronic Database and online Interactive Sky map to be used for further research projects.

Wykorzystanie środków komunikacji elektronicznej w procesach partycypacji społecznej

Currently, the issue of social participation has been discussed in many scientific studies, however, it has not been elaborated on in terms of electronic techniques and tools increasing the participation of citizens in decision-making processes. This requires looking for new solutions that are able to increase the participation of citizens in the co-management of public affairs, which can be achieved through the use of electronic communication means. In the work, the author defines social and electronic participation, and indicates the understanding of the term electronic communication. Then he describes the techniques of electronic social participation, i.e. on-line surveys, interactive maps, discussion forums and chat, supporting them with examples from practice, in the last part of the work the tools of electronic social participation are presented, i.e. websites: www.mamzdanie.org.pl, www.stacja-konsultacja.pl.

Classifying Cartographic Projections Based on Dynamic Analysis of Program Code

Abstract. Analyzing a given map to identify its projection and other geometrical properties has long been an important aspect of cartographic analysis. If explicit information about the projection used in a particular map is not available, the properties of the cartographic transformation can sometimes be reconstructed from the map image. However, such a process of projection analysis requires significant manual labor and oversight.For digital maps, we usually expect the projection from geographic space to map space to have been calculated by a computer program. Such a program can be expected to contain the implementation of the mathematical rules of the projection and subsequent coordinate transformations such as translation and scaling. The program code, therefore, contains information that would allow an analyst to reliably identify map projections and other geometrical transformations applied to the input data.In the case of interactive online maps, the code generating the map is in fact delivered to the map user and could be used for cartographic analysis. The core idea of our novel method proposed for map analysis is to apply reverse engineering techniques on the code implementing the cartographic transformations in order to retrieve the properties of the applied map projection. However, automatic reasoning about computer code by way of static analysis (analyzing the source code without running it) is provably limited – for example, the code delivered to the map user may contain a whole library of different map projections, of which only a specific one may be actually used at runtime. Instead, we propose a dynamic analysis approach to observe and monitor the operations performed by the code as the program runs, and to retrieve the mathematical operations that have been used to calculate the coordinates of every graphical element on the map.The presented method produces, for every graphical element of the map, a transformation graph consisting of low-level mathematical operations. Cartographic projections can be identified as distinctive patterns in the transformation graph, and can be distinguished in a fully automatic way by matching a set of predefined patterns against a particular graph.Projections vary widely in their arithmetic structure, and therefore by the structure of the corresponding transformation graphs extracted from program code. Some projections can be computed directly using continuous equations involving trigonometric functions. Other projections involve solving nonlinear equations, which need to be solved by approximation. Composite projections use different projections depending on some threshold value. Yet other projections, such as the Robinson projection, define a table of predefined values, between which interpolation is used etc.. In each of these cases, we expect to find the operations corresponding to the mathematical structure of the projection in the transformation graph extracted by the presented method.For verifying the method, we have implemented the patterns of several well-known cartographic projections based on the literature and have used it on the transformation graphs extracted from a variety of sample programs. To ensure a diversity of implementations, we have evaluated programs using different and independent JavaScript implementations of projections, including the open source libraries D3.js, proj4js, Leaflet, OpenLayers, and informal implementations of example programs found online. For these case studies, we could successfully identify many projections based on identifying patterns in the transformation graph in a fully automated, unsupervised manner.In the future, the proposed method may be further developed for many innovative application scenarios, such as building a “cartographic search engine” or constructing novel tools for semi-automatic cartographic analysis and review.

Genetics of Lactose Intolerance: An Updated Review and Online Interactive World Maps of Phenotype and Genotype Frequencies.

In humans the ability to digest milk lactose is conferred by a β-galactosidase enzyme called lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH). While in some humans (approximately two-thirds of humankind) the levels of this enzyme decline drastically after the weaning phase (a trait known as lactase non-persistence (LNP)), some other individuals are capable of maintaining high levels of LPH lifelong (lactase persistence (LP)), thus being able to digest milk during adulthood. Both lactase phenotypes in humans present a complex genetic basis and have been widely investigated during the last decades. The distribution of lactase phenotypes and their associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across human populations has also been extensively studied, though not recently reviewed. All available information has always been presented in the form of static world maps or large dimension tables, so that it would benefit from the newly available visualization tools, such as interactive world maps. Taking all this into consideration, the aims of the present review were: (1) to gather and summarize all available information on LNP and LP genetic mechanisms and evolutionary adaptation theories, and (2) to create online interactive world maps, including all LP phenotype and genotype frequency data reported to date. As a result, we have created two online interactive resources, which constitute an upgrade over previously published static world maps, and allow users a personalized data exploration, while at the same time accessing complete reports by population or ethnicity.

Spatial distribution of gambling: two indexes in support of the reduction of health inequalities

Abstract Background Many studies have showed that disadvantaged areas residents have greater access to gambling sites and are more affected by gambling. Our research proposes an innovative method to characterize gambling environments in Quebec and addresses social inequality with respect to gambling exposure. Methods This cross-sectional ecological study was carried out in 3 stages: a Gambling Exposure Index (GEI) was built and is composed of 3 dimensions: spatial accessibility to gambling sites, density of gambling places, and relative risk associated with the types of game. The two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method was used to combine these dimensions into an overall GEI index. Data was retrieved from a geocoded directory of gambling sites and commercial databases. The relative risk of games is expressed by prevalence rates for those specific games in a Quebec population prevalence survey. A Vulnerability to Gambling Index (VGI) was produced based on 6 socio-economic proxies of problem gambling from the 2016 Canadian census, which were weighted and aggregated at the dissemination area (DA) level. Spatial and descriptive statistical analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between VGI and GEI, and to identify highly exposed and vulnerable areas. Results Our analyzes reveal significant associations between the GEI and the VGI in 2 599 out of 13 420 Quebec DAs (p < 0.05). Sectors with a high GEI show an average distance to the closest gambling sites of 2.8 km compared with 13.5 km for more advantaged sectors. Conclusions The interactive online mapping of the two indexes and statistical analysis of the results are beneficial to the professionals working in several fields such as risk monitoring, management of zoning, licensing and gambling distribution, prevention and treatment services. The method and the associated tools can be adapted to address the problem of increased accessibility to other unhealthy products in vulnerable neighborhoods. Key messages Two innovative ecological indexes show that increased accessibility to gambling correlates with a higher vulnerability to gambling in many Quebec regions. The online interactive map on gambling exposure and vulnerability provides reliable criteria to municipal, regional and governmental bodies for a safer distribution of gambling offer.

Development of GIS Database for Infrastructure Management: Power Distribution Network System

Infrastructure management is an integral part of management in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). One of the important infrastructures is the power distribution network system. Integration of Geographical Information System (GIS) in the power distribution system provides an upgrade in method to collect, store, and handle the data more professionally. Web-GIS application platform allows online data sharing for authorizing the users to get access to spatial and non-spatial data of the power system. Interactive online mapping provides three important modules that are viewing the module, statistical module and query module. These three proposed module is to help the user become more understanding of the related data. This paper describes how the process starting from data collection until the production of Web-GIS for online data sharing in the electrical distribution network system in UKM. The proposed online application integrates all the spatial data with complete power distribution information. This Geospatial system is able to enhance the management quality for a better sustainable campus.