Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Jan 3:5:1.
doi: 10.1186/1476-072X-5-1.

Epidemiological geomatics in evaluation of mine risk education in Afghanistan: introducing population weighted raster maps

Neil Andersson  1 , Steven Mitchell
Affiliations

Epidemiological geomatics in evaluation of mine risk education in Afghanistan: introducing population weighted raster maps

Neil Andersson et al. Int J Health Geogr. .

Abstract

Evaluation of mine risk education in Afghanistan used population weighted raster maps as an evaluation tool to assess mine education performance, coverage and costs. A stratified last-stage random cluster sample produced representative data on mine risk and exposure to education. Clusters were weighted by the population they represented, rather than the land area. A "friction surface" hooked the population weight into interpolation of cluster-specific indicators. The resulting population weighted raster contours offer a model of the population effects of landmine risks and risk education. Five indicator levels ordered the evidence from simple description of the population-weighted indicators (level 0), through risk analysis (levels 1-3) to modelling programme investment and local variations (level 4). Using graphic overlay techniques, it was possible to metamorphose the map, portraying the prediction of what might happen over time, based on the causality models developed in the epidemiological analysis. Based on a lattice of local site-specific predictions, each cluster being a small universe, the "average" prediction was immediately interpretable without losing the spatial complexity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Layers in a population-weighted raster, based on a cluster sample. a) position of sentinel sites or "tent-poles", b) population weights, c) friction layers and d) raster drape (top) where the shade is set by the height of the tent-pole and the extension of an interpolation based on the population weights.
Figure 2
Figure 2
"Ortho" or three-dimensional view of population-weighted raster. Distribution of households that say land mines affect their livelihood (Afghanistan 1997).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic portrayal of a raster being laid over a weight layer. The interpolation of the colour change is based on the population weight.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Raster map showing Level 0 indicator. Population-weighted distribution of listenership to BBC soap opera New Home New Life including ortho (three-dimensional) view.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Busgeeth K, Rivett U. The use of a spatial information system in the management of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. International Journal of Health Geographics. 2004;3 - PMC - PubMed
    1. NCHS . Atlas of United States Mortality. Centers for Disease Control Atlanta; 1997.
    1. Andersson N, Whitaker C, Swaminathan A. Afghanistan, the 1997 National Mine Awareness Evaluation. Project report CIET/UNOCHA Islamabad. 1998. http://www.ciet.org
    1. Andersson N, Swaminathan A, Whitaker C, Roche M. Mine Smartness and the community voice in minerisk education: lessons from Afghanistan and Angola. Third World Quarterly. 2003;24:873887. doi: 10.1080/0143659032000132902. - DOI
    1. Andersson N, Martinez E, Cerrato F, Morales E, Ledogar RJ. The Use of CommunityBased Data in Health Planning in Mexico and Central America. Health Policy and Planning. 1989;4:197206.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources