[Surveillance of drinking water supply with a geographic information system: a pilot project of the of the Iogd NRM and the Hoxter district].
Drinking water surveillance includes the use of spatial data. A geographic information system (GIS) is a practicable tool for work with spatial data in the health sector as well. Co-operation between the Institute of Public Health for North Rhine Westphalia, the local health authority of the Hoexter district and the Institute for Geoinformatics of the University of Muenster started a project testing the use of GIS for drinking water surveillance. A special application was programmed. It includes functions of retrieval and classification of the measured values of drinking water wells, in order to show time trends in a diagram and to visualise the location of the wells and the analysis data in a map. The members of the Public Health Office accepted the method and started using it regularly. In addition, the collaboration between the health authority and other local authorities was strengthened. Several data sets were included in the GIS, such as wells and results of water analysis, water protection areas, land use data, and topographical maps. Basing on to the experiences with this project, the development of a standard application is planned that is supposed to be communicated to all local health authorities in North Rhine Westphalia.
Hellmeier
W
W
Fakultät für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Universität Bielefeld. wolfgang.hellmeier@loegd.nrw.de
Queste
A
A
Woltering
R
R
D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011634:Public Health; D012984:Software; D019371:Topography, Medical; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014881:Water Supply / Q000592:standards*