Saskatoon Health Region staff receive geographic information technology award

Some Saskatoon Health Region staff have been recognized as innovators in the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology in the health and human services fields. The recognition comes from a California-based company called GIS ESRI in Nashville, Tennessee late last year. The Communication Award for excellence in map presentation, visualisation and communication went to Saskatoon Health Region staff. The poster, Mapping the Availability of Tobacco Products to Youth in the City of Saskatoon, tells the story of using GIS to convert school health survey results into information that will help health officials develop policies for reducing tobacco use among middle school students. The study examined the locations of tobacco retailers near schools and used statistical analysis to identify potential correlations with student-reported smoking initiation rates. Maps displayed an overall view of the results. Left to right in the picture: Daphne Goodman-Eifler, supervisor, Tobacco Reduction Strategies; Tanya Dunn-Pierce, manager, Health Promotion Department and Tracy Creighton, GIS analyst, Public Health Observatory