ABSTRACT
Given the current emphasis of health-care reform, in the United States and globally, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the current role of geographic information systems (GIS) in the context of strategic health planning. First, recent changes in the structure of the health-care system and the current role of GIS are described. Second, the patient-centric and population-oriented uses of GIS are reviewed. Last, disease and bioterrorism (BT) surveillance, crisis, and disaster management, as well as strategies for use of interactive maps, are discussed. Conclusions present a research agenda toward a GIS-supported health information technology (HIT) and how we can move beyond the map to view and explore health disparities.
