ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the requirements for a customised geographic information systems (GIS) for defining problem regions as part of health needs assessment in a single health authority area. It discusses database issues and outlines spatial data analysis (SDA) techniques that are needed to underpin a health needs assessment GIS and comment briefly on the implications of this work for the geography of service delivery. SDA can provide useful information for those concerned with identifying health needs for specific (small) geographic areas. Such information may also be useful in deciding how to organise the delivery of various services once there is a better understanding of the geography of needs. Spatial analysis tools enable the analyst to describe and better understand the distribution of relative risk across a city. The chapter considers design issues that may inform future extensions to the system.
