title: An open source web application for the surveillance and prevention of the impacts on public health of extreme meteorological events: the SUPREME system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Every year, many deaths or health problems are directly linked to heat waves. Consequently, numerous jurisdictions around the world have developed intervention plans that are employed during extreme heat events; beyond their emergency sections, these plans generally include preventive measures to be implemented each year. Over the last five years, local and regional information systems have been implemented in a few Canadian cities for surveillance purposes. However, until recently, no such systems existed at the provincial level. In the context of the Government of Quebec's 2006-2012 Action Plan on Climate Change, a real-time integrated system for the surveillance and monitoring of extreme heat events has been implemented on a provincial level. The system is a component of a broader approach that would also monitor the public health impacts of all types of extreme meteorological events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After conducting a detailed needs analysis, the Quebec National Institute for Public Health developed and implemented an integrated web application leveraging open source software for the real-time Surveillance and Prevention of the impacts of Extreme Meteorological Events on public health, called the SUPREME system. Its first field use involved heat waves. This decision-support system is based on open source software and is composed of four modules: (1) data acquisition and integration, (2) risk analysis and alerts, (3), cartographic application, and (4) information dissemination - climate change and health portal. The system is available to health specialists through a secure web information portal and provides access to weather forecasts, historic and real-time indicators (including deaths and hospital admissions), alerts and various cartographic data used for conducting prevention activities and launching emergency measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SUPREME system was implemented and used during the summer of 2010. It served as an important decision-making tool during the July 2010 heat wave in the province of Quebec, Canada. Planned improvements for 2011 include the integration of data related to other risk factors for other extreme events to the system. The next steps will be to provide access to the application to other groups of specialists that are involved in the prevention, monitoring, or analysis of extreme meteorological events and their effects on community health and well-being.
authors: Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 945 Wolfe, Quebec (Quebec), G1V 5B3, Canada.
authors: Steve
authors: S
authors: Toutant
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Gosselin
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: Bélanger
authors: Ray
authors: R
authors: Bustinza
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Rivest
references: Int J Health Geogr. 2008 May 22;7:23
references: 18498630
references: Euro Surveill. 2007 Mar 01;12(3):226
references: 17439811
references: Epidemiology. 2008 Sep;19(5):711-9
references: 18520615
references: Int J Health Geogr. 2011 Jan 21;10:7
references: 21251286
references: C R Biol. 2008 Feb;331(2):171-8
references: 18241810