The significance of geography in environmental health, or what can geography do for the environmental health profession?A New Era in Geography For many years, people believed that it was enough for geography to identify the names, places, and features of natural treasures such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests. Now we are in an era of technological advances where the knowledge of geography and the contributions of computer technology together can provide benefits to humankind not only in health and environment-related systems, but also in many other branches of knowledge. Today's geography has evolved into environmental health and epidemiology. Before proceeding, it would be appropriate to briefly define geography. In a classical sense, the word geography may be defined in terms of its constituent terms: "Geo" and "graphy." "Geo" refers to the earth, and "graphy" indicates a process of writing on a subject, so the word literally means studying the Earth. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , geography indicates a human relationship with the land. Basically, geographers deal with spatial relationships in their writings, and the key to interpreting these spatial relationships is the map. Maps represent a geographic portrait of spatial relationships and phenomena, whether in a small segment of the Earth or across the entire globe. In my school days, when I was majoring in social science, my main focus was on geographie l'environnment, a discipline whose main theme was serving the environment through applied geography. Since then, the field of geography has become instrumental in several social science disciplines. The Sciences of Geography and Environmental Health Reflecting on my experience in environmental health since the early 1980s reminds me that an environmental health professional can benefit from geography in a number of ways. Almost every aspect of environmental health has a close association with geographic knowledge. Geography not only is one of the social science disciplines, it also embraces multiple tracks and interrelates with them. In other words, if you place geography in the center of a circle and surround it with socioeconomic systems (such as politics, economics, demography, ethnology ethnology (ĕthnŏl`əjē), scientific study of the origin and functioning of human cultures. It is usually considered one of the major branches of cultural anthropology, the other two being anthropological archaeology and , anthropology, archeology, city planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. and transportation, landscape ecology Landscape ecology The study of the distribution and abundance of elements within landscapes, the origins of these elements, and their impacts on organisms and processes. , and general sciences such as biology, ecology, marine biology marine biology, study of ocean plants and animals and their ecological relationships. Marine organisms may be classified (according to their mode of life) as nektonic, planktonic, or benthic. Nektonic animals are those that swim and migrate freely, e.g. , agriculture, meteorology meteorology, branch of science that deals with the atmosphere of a planet, particularly that of the earth, the most important application of which is the analysis and prediction of weather. , geology, oceanography oceanography, study of the seas and oceans. The major divisions of oceanography include the geological study of the ocean floor (see plate tectonics) and features; physical oceanography, which is concerned with the physical attributes of the ocean water, such as , environmental studies, natural resources, and toxicology), you will notice that all of the orbiting systems relate to geography in one way or another. To support this argument and no doubt increase knowledge, I urge my fellow environmental health professionals to take some leisure time to browse through two remarkable sources of information: Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions, by Michael L. McKinney and Robert M. Schoch Robert M. Schoch is an American geologist and academic with a special interest in pyramid monuments around the world. He received his Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from Yale in 1983, and as of 1990 is a tenured professor of general studies at Boston University. (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, <www.jbpub.com/environet>, 1998), and the fifth edition of Environmental Science: A Global Concern, by William P. Cunningham and Barbara W. Saigo (McGraw-Hill, 1999). Environmental health professionals use geographic techniques in their daily duties. From waste management to energy resources to water and air quality, geography is present. I remember that in early 1990, state and county officials were becoming interested in learning about geographic information systems (GIS). Introductory GIS sessions were presented to directors of environmental health to promote this knowledge nationwide. Today, a decade later, GIS has become well known nationwide and has assisted many health departments around the country. GIS is the most prominent contribution of geography to environmental health and other health related fields. What is GIS? Previously, we reviewed the definition of geography. Now let's find out what the phrase "information system" means. In a general sense, an information system is a discipline whose primary function is to improve our ability to make decisions. It is a chain of operations that takes us from planning, observation, and the collection of data to storage and analysis of data. Now it is easier to define GIS: The term "geographic information system" is talking about an information system designed to work with data referenced by spatial or geographic coordinates The quantities of latitude and longitude which define the position of a point on the surface of the Earth with respect to the reference spheroid. See also coordinates. . It has become popular in recent years simply because the technological advances of cyberspace make it unique, multifaceted, and key to exploring our world. GIS offers a significant contribution to public health in the areas of epidemiology and general environmental health studies. Environmental health professionals should put more emphasis on studying the link between the environment and health. And, in this regard, GIS can be very beneficial. For example, ecological studies, or geographic co-relational studies, use information about exposure and disease classified according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. geographic units such as a census tract A census tract, census area, or census district is a particular community defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county. , city, or county. Development of a GIS for environmental health has been an interesting subject in many health agencies nationwide because it relates demographic, environmental, and health-outcome data spatially. It uses several software packages for address matching, mapping, data management, and statistical analysis. Thus, GIS provides environmental health professionals with a new tool for viewing and analyzing perplexing per·plex tr.v. per·plexed, per·plex·ing, per·plex·es 1. To confuse or trouble with uncertainty or doubt. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make confusedly intricate; complicate. data. Most environmental divisions within the public-health realm use GIS in their daily routines. In cancer studies, GIS has made a great contribution. Many environmental health issues--such as those involving radon, electromagnetic fields, and some chemical agents, for instance--are related to cancer these days. GIS technology is being used to address many aspects of health care planning, marketing, and delivery. It has played an extremely important role in resource management activities. In the 21st century, information technology is the password to progress--not only in the health care system, but also in business and in most other aspects of human life. How to Increase Our Geographic Knowledge? Environmental health professionals are not the only ones who can benefit from their geographic knowledge; the general public also will enjoy benefits, especially if members of the profession acquire the following skills and apply them in our daily activities on behalf of the public: * know how to read maps (especially topographic maps) properly; * know how to use a compass effectively; * know about soil topography; * know about weather hazards and land instability; * know about aquatic resources in our area; * know about hydrologic and atmospheric cycles, climate, and weather; * know about the fundamentals of energy, fossil fuels, and hydroelectric power hydroelectric power: see power, electric; water power. hydroelectric power Electricity produced from generators driven by water turbines that convert the energy in falling or fast-flowing water to mechanical energy. ; * know about physical limitations in our environment--these include a vast number of constraints such as water supply, space availability, or soil and light in the case of plants; * know more about the use of pesticides and fertilizers in our communities; * know about preservation and conservation; * know the food pyramid food pyramid or Food Guide Pyramid, diagram used in nutrition education that fits food groups into a triangle and notes that, for a healthful diet, those at the base should be eaten more frequently than those at the top. well; * get acquainted with PC and GIS desktop applications; * know about cultural diversity in our communities and its geographic distributions; * know about urban geography The Urban Geography Journal was first published in 1980. It is published semi-quarterly and contains a range of original papers, by geography and other social scientist researches, on issues relating to urban policy and planning, race, poverty, ethnicity in urban areas, housing, and and locational analysis for health-related research; and * know about global warming global warming, the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. so that we can take preventive measures. In short, geography is a vast body of knowledge, and the list of geographic-education subjects that can enhance our profession goes on and on. It is quite apparent that geography has a close relationship with environmental health science and that environmental health professionals with geographic knowledge can more fully serve the public. Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. F. Parvis par·vis n. 1. An enclosed courtyard or space at the entrance to a building, especially a cathedral, that is sometimes surrounded by porticoes or colonnades. 2. One of the porticoes or colonnades surrounding such a space. , Ph.D., R.S., C.P.F.M.I. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dr. Leo F. Parvis researched environmental health science as a graduate student in the Mediterranean region for three years in the late 1980s. In 1998, he received a Ph.D. in public health from Walden University Walden University is a private, for-profit, specialized distance learning institution of higher learning. Headquartered in the Mills District in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Walden University embraces a post-baccalaureate educational system. in Minneapolis, Minnesota “Minneapolis” redirects here. For other uses, see Minneapolis (disambiguation). Minneapolis (pronounced IPA: /ˌmɪniˈæpəlɪs/) is the largest city in the U.S. . Dr. Parvis has spent many years working in both the public and the private sectors on issues related to environmental health and education research. Currently, he is writing a book for parents--and professionals who work with parents--about protecting children from environmental health problems. He will be contributing material for the "Learning from Experience" column in every other issue of the Journal. Questions and/or comments for Dr. Parvis can be sent to <DrParvis@mn.rr.com>. |
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