ArticleInternational journal of health geographics2009
Tracking the polio virus down the Congo River: a case study on the use of Google Earth in public health planning and mapping.
Article in International journal of health geographics, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of vaccine registration on disease prophylaxis: a systematic review.Biomedical engineering online · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Implementation of digital technology solutions for a lung health trial in rural Malawi.The European respiratory journal · 2016Trial
- Sampling at community level by using satellite imagery and geographical analysis.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2014Trial
- Using ArcMap, Google Earth, and Global Positioning Systems to select and locate random households in rural Haiti.International journal of health geographics · 2013Trial
- Microplanning improves stakeholders' perceived capacity and engagement to implement lymphatic filariasis mass drug administration.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Assessing the use of geospatial data for immunization program implementation and associated effects on coverage and equity in the Democratic Republic of Congo.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Understanding Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers: Virus Diversity, Vector Ecology, and Public Health Strategies.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Every Child on the Map: A Theory of Change Framework for Improving Childhood Immunization Coverage and Equity Using Geospatial Data and Technologies.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Article
- Mapathons versus automated feature extraction: a comparative analysis for strengthening immunization microplanning.International journal of health geographics · 2021Article
- A microplanning model to improve door-to-door health service delivery: the case of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Sub-Saharan African villages.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Using Google Earth™ and Geographical Information System data as method to delineate sample domains for an urban household surveys: the case of Maroua (Far North Region-Cameroon).International journal of health geographics · 2019Article
- Satellite images and machine learning can identify remote communities to facilitate access to health services.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2019Article
- Article
- Detecting Spatial Patterns of Disease in Large Collections of Electronic Medical Records Using Neighbor-Based Bootstrapping.Big data · 2017Article
- Spatial and temporal changes in household structure locations using high-resolution satellite imagery for population assessment: an analysis in southern Zambia, 2006-2011.Geospatial health · 2016Article
- Tracking Vaccination Teams During Polio Campaigns in Northern Nigeria by Use of Geographic Information System Technology: 2013-2015.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2016Article
- Design and implementation of a national public health surveillance system in Jordan.International journal of medical informatics · 2016Article
- Polio elimination in Nigeria: A review.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2016Review
- Development and validation of a self-administered questionnaire to estimate the distance and mode of children's travel to school in urban India.BMC medical research methodology · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of GIS in public health is growing, a consequence of a rapidly evolving technology and increasing accessibility to a wider audience. Google Earth (GE) is becoming an important mapping infrastructure for public health. However, generating traditional public health maps for GE is still beyond the reach of most public health professionals. In this paper, we explain, through the example of polio eradication activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, how we used GE Earth as a planning tool and we share the methods used to generate public health maps.
resultsThe use of GE improved field operations and resulted in better dispatch of vaccination teams and allocation of resources. It also allowed the creation of maps of high quality for advocacy, training and to help understand the spatiotemporal relationship between all the entities involved in the polio outbreak and response.
conclusionGE has the potential of making mapping available to a new set of public health users in developing countries. High quality and free satellite imagery, rich features including Keyhole Markup Language or image overlay provide a flexible but yet powerful platform that set it apart from traditional GIS tools and this power is still to be fully harnessed by public health professionals.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.