Completed Projects
GeoMed, Biostatistical Methods in Environmental Epidemiology
Geoffrey Jacquez, BioMedware, Inc., PI
This work was supported by 2 STTR grants from the National Cancer Institute: phase I in 1995 (R41-CA064979) and phase II 1998-2000 (R42-CA064979).
Research Abstract
This Phase II STTR project completed development of geographic disease surveillance software. Health professionals must often address cluster allegations brought forward by concerned citizens. Examples include well-publicized episodes in Woburn, Massachusetts and Love Canal, New York.
Recent advances in computer databases and Geographic Information Systems provide more data than ever before, making possible proactive statistical testing of geographic hypotheses. Statistical tests are often designed for use in this proactive manner and are less applicable to reactive cluster investigations, where standard epidemiological study designs may be more appropriate. While an active and productive research area in academic institutions, recent advances in proactive biostatistical methods had not found their way into commercially available software, and, in general, were not taught as part of the epidemiology curriculum. As a result, researchers often lacked both appropriate statistical tools and the educational foundation needed to analyze disease patterns.
Accordingly, this research had two aims:
- Complete development of the Phase I software prototype.
- Prepare educational modules for university use.
Accomplishment of these aims fostered the technical transfer of geographic and statistical methods and will enhance the ability of health professionals to explore geographic hypotheses of disease spread and causation.
The prototypes resulting from this research have applications in disease surveillance, methodological research, and education. Of these, education has the greatest commercial potential because of the growing need for instructional materials in Spatial Information Science in general and in spatial epidemiology in particular. This need has caused organizations such as the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA), and, most recently, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), to formulate academic curricula in Geographic Information Science. However, instructional materials to implement the curricula are not commercially available. Instructional materials resulting from this research help meet this need.
Software
BioMedware produced a software product that has been commercialized as ClusterSeer by TerraSeer, Inc. ClusterSeer is now in its second version and includes over 20 statistical methods for the exploratory spatial data analysis of disease patterns.
Training
We also produced an online course now available from the University of Northern Kentucky: Spatial Epidemiology course materials.
TerraSeer also offers training in cluster detection and analysis using ClusterSeer. Check their training schedule for details.
Publications
Jacquez, G.M. and D.A. Greiling. 2003. Local clustering in breast, lung and colorectal cancer in Long Island, New York. International Journal of Health Geographics 2: 3.
Prou, M. A.Long, M.Wilson, G.Jacquez, H.Wackernagel, F.Carrat. 2001. Exploratory Temporal-Spatial Analysis of Influenza Epidemics in France, 1985-2000.