Harnessing geospatial data for better health
WHO
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Harnessing geospatial data for better health

WHO/Europe is supporting countries in utilizing geospatial information to improve the quality and availability of health-care services for nearly 1 billion people in the WHO European Region. 

Geospatial technology in the form of geographic information systems (GIS) enables the visualization and analysis of data on a map. Within the health sector, GIS can play a vital role by supporting evidence-based planning and decision-making, aiding in emergency response, and helping to forecast and analyse health trends over time. 

For example, GIS can help countries identify vulnerable populations or select locations for the expansion of health services. GIS can also be used to improve community contact tracing, outreach, or routing services, and even to model climate-related health risks.

With the mission to empower countries to utilize GIS, WHO/Europe provides various capacity-building activities, including training sessions, workshops, and the provision of technical guidance. This is often carried out in partnership with the WHO GIS Centre for Health at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and the WHO European Geospatial Coordination Hub in Istanbul, Türkiye. 

The Hub in Istanbul supports and enhances GIS activities, capacities and implementation across the Region. It serves as a platform for coordination, collaboration and communication among WHO Member States, technical partners and donors to align efforts in geospatial initiatives for health. Some of its areas of work include: 

  • the development of a living, regional GIS roadmap for the Region, to be based on consultations between WHO and Member States on their GIS needs, capacities, and expectations; 
  • capacity strengthening, by offering in-person and online training programmes ranging from one-hour webinars to one-year master’s degree programmes tailored to the needs of stakeholders and countries; 
  • a community of practice, by facilitating knowledge exchange and networking among GIS experts and users; 
  • operational research, by collaborating with academic institutions and research organizations to conduct operational research and develop best practices, guidelines and resources for GIS applications in public health; 
  • partnerships, by ensuring coordinated support to Member States by engaging with relevant experts; 
  • technical assistance, by providing comprehensive support to Member States, including needs and capacity assessments; the development and implementation of national GIS roadmaps; the provision of data, software and tools; the production of maps, dashboards and applications; and support for resource mobilization, including finances and human resources; and 
  • emergency response, by deploying GIS experts to respond effectively to emergencies.

The WHO European Geospatial Coordination Hub is co-led by the WHO European Centre for Preparedness for Humanitarian Health Emergencies and the Data and Digital Health Unit at WHO/Europe, in coordination with the GIS Centre for Health at WHO headquarters. Hub members include GIS specialists from across the Region.