< 1111 ■ II — — ' Trap. Vet. 20 (2) 117-125, (2002) THE APPLICATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO VETERINARY MEDICINE: AN OVERVIEW B A B A LO B 1 O. O.', F A B IY I O .1 and OGUAM ANAN L IB B Y 1 1 Faculty o f Veterinary Medicine, University o f lhadun, Ibadan, Nigeria '■Department o f Geography, Faculty o fS ocial Sciences, University o f Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria Key Words: Geographical Information Systems, Veterinary Medicine, Ecological Epizootiology Abstract Geographical Information Systems, (GIS), are powerful computerized systems with inputting, storage, mapping, analysis and display of spatial data capabilities (spatial data are associated with a location on the earth’s surface). Geographical Information Systems have tremendously enhanced Ecological Epizootiology, the study o f diseases in relation to their ecosystems. It has found increasing application for surveillance and monitoring studies, identification and location o f environmental risk factors as well as disease prediction, disease policy planning, prevention and control. This article is an overview o f the application o f GIS to veterinary and medical research, education, decision support and information systems indifferent parts o f the world, including Nigeria. Introduction reduction in cost o f hardware and the development o f versatile software, rapid Geographical Information Systems (GIS) progress in GIS was made in the 1980s. are powerful computerized systems for Disease canjpe-m apped and analyzed collecting, inputting, storing, managing, u sing G IS (M ag u ire , 1991). The mapping, analyzing and displaying spatial emergence o f GIS marked a development data i.e. data associated with a location on in eco log ical/landscape/geograph ical the earth’s surface (Burrough 1986). They epizoo-tiology or medical ecology (which enable display in a graphic form, large has been a trad itio n a l b ranch o f q u an titie s o f in fo rm atio n w ith in a epidemiology/ epizetotiology). Ecological geographic context (Antenucci et al, 1991, epizoootiology, the stilly o f diseases in T h ru sfie ld , 1997). G eograph ic relation to the ecosystemsSwas expounded Information Systems owes its origin to the (Andy 1958, 1960, 1962) and developed im plem entation o f the Canadian GIS in Russia (Pavlosky, 1964. Galazo 1975) d ev e lo p ed in 1960. W ith the rapid Ecological epizootiology is founded on the IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY « I %ll premise that looming the niilinnl home rapid ilirncrislon in the present age of ("'dns iK'si i ol n disease in im environment adv.imed information technology 'Mil enable prediction of its occurrence, I liriislield. (1997) observed fh.it in and the de\ isingof appropriate prevention addition to traditional mapping. OIS can and control mechanisms. Hpizooliologists be applied to the following and their human medicine counterparts (the Epidemiologists) have traditionally Neighborhood analysis which allows an used maps when analyzing associations investigator to list all features that meet between location, environment and specified criteria (c.g. identification of disease. Geographic information systems livestock units adjacent to an infected are particularly well suited for studying the area). Buffer generation around or along associations because of its spatial analysis certain features e.g. definition of all and display capabilities. properties at risk of infection within a Maps (cartography), as used in given distance of an infected farm, or along cpizootiology are important for the a road that has been used by infected following reasons: animals. They display the geographical (spatial) Overlay analysis in which two or more distribution of disease and related data sets are superimposed on top of factors. another and areas of intersection (overlay) of features identified (e.g. overlaying land, They enable one to see at a glance farm, vegetation and watering point where diseases are present. locations to identify areas where animals They are valuable for investigating the are to be mustered for tuberculin testing). mode and direction of transmission of infectious diseases. Network analysis permitting optimal routing along networks of linear features. They suggest possible causes of diseases of unknown aetiology. (For Three-dimensional surface modeling- example the association of jaw tumors GIS provides user ability to store, of sheep with areas where bracken fern integrate, query, display and analyze data was common, led to the hypotheses from molecular levels to that of satellite that bracken fern causes tumor This resolution. Field observations on environ- was later supported by experimental mental conditions including vegetation, investigation - (McGea and Head water and topography, can be combined 1978, 1981). and in GIS to facilitate characterization of the landscape in terms of vector and pathogen I hey facilitate the quantitative display prevalence. The associations between of the number of cases, populations at disease risk variables (e g vector, risk and prevalence/incidence of pathogen and reservoir host abundance and diseases. dis-tribution) as well as environmental Application of GIS to the cartography variables can be quantified using the of veterinary diseases has taken a new and spatial analysis capabilities of GIS. IIS IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ln/nrniiiUnn S y s l r m > I r ip r in iH y M r f/ic lnv Ia i l lo g ica l l i>i:nt>itnhnr» Landscape pm tern analysis combined will) and infested land area and human contact statistical analysis allows us lo define will also decline. landscape predictor of disease risk. Phis Surveillance and Mon it or'my o f can he applied in large regions where Held waterborne d iseases e .g UNICliF data are unavailable, thus making CIS a Citilnea-worm Eradication Projects. GIS powerful tool for disease surveillance, for enabled the researchers lo locate high predicting potential disease outbreak and prevalence areas and population at risk, targeting interventions programmes (CDC identifying areas in need of resources and 1994. 1998). making decisions on resource allocation. This paper is thus an overview o f the Pumps were then placed in villages most application o f GIS to the practice of affected to ensure access to safe water, veterinary m edicine, research and fhis led to marked reduction in prevalence education. of guinea worms in villages where pumps were introduced. Existing application of CIS in Epizoo- Iden tifica tion and location o f tiology and Epidemiology environmental risk factors associated with lyme disease in Baltim ore county. In the related Human Medicine field of Maryland. Ecological factors such as water epidemiology. GIS has been used for: shed, soil type, land use. geology and forest Surveillance and monitoring of vector- distribution were collected at residences borne d iseases (O nchocercosis in of lyme disease patients and combined G uatem ala. M alaria in Israel and with data collected at randomly selected Trypanosomosis in Africa). Spatial and set o f addresses. A risk model was eco log ical data are com bined with generated combining both GIS and logistic epizootiological data to enable analysis of regression analysis to areas where lyme variables that play important role in disease disease was most likely to occur. transmission. In the Malaria studies in (Athenucci el.a! 1991; Reid et at. 2000) Israel, data on locations of the breeding In Nigeria. GIS principles have been sites o f anopheles mosquitoes, imported used to study risk factors associated with malaria cases and population centers were malaria in Ibadan. Nigeria (ldowu. 2000). in tegrated to provide m eans for fhe author associated the risk o f malaria adm inistrative collaborations, health to the presence of disposing factors such policy planning, decision making and as swamps, refuse dumps and population ongoing surveillance efforts. Available density, and then showed this associations information concerning human and tsetse in GIS maps that classified the study area popu la tions were syn thesized and into potential and low risk areas to malaria. developed into a spatial GIS model to In the field o f ep izoo tio logy . estim ate the future effects o f human (Veterinary Epidemiology) GIS has been populations on tsetse population. It was used to study the ecology and control o f concluded that by 2040 AD many of the tuberculosis in New Zealand. Areas with 23 species o f tsetse will begin to disappear endemic infections o f tuberculosis in IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Utll%tli %'l »ll possum populations lor the yenis I oh I, (hie to proximity to infected farm* nr along 1°S(> and I*)*)() respectively wcic shown tnimiport route* A GIS database m a m;»p eonstrueteil using a ( ilS containing farm locations, poultry industry llte epidemiology of cattle diseases resources, roads, waterways and caused by Theilera parva (I,assent et ai, geographical/architectural features can be Data on selected varitihles. which used to identify vaccination /ones, flock influence the epidemiology of the disease, depopulation regions and transport routes were assem bled and entered into a that m inim ize the risk of disease com puterized GIS. Variables studied transmission. These arc important factors included the distribution of the major host in protecting export market during disease (cattle and buffalo), the tick vectors outbreak. Such database will also enhance f R/upicephalus appcndiculatus and related planning and budgeting efforts, provide species), and the reported presence of east important data to secure financial support coast fever, corridor disease and January for needed improvement in infrastructure. disease. In addition, the distribution of In event of natural disaster and other climate suitability o f R. appcndiculatus emergencies, a database of this type will was assessed using the model CLIMEX assist in both planning and relief efforts. on a clim atic database developed for Information could then be collected from Africa. Distribution maps were produced farm owners, government offices in charge for each variable i.e. cattle, buffaloes, ticks, of planning, highway administration and eco-climatic index for lick survival and environm ent; from maps and from development, as well as the distribution veterinary records. This can also be applied of mean monthly normalized vegetation to other animals health and production index. These buffered maps were then industry at national and regional levels. overlaid and points of overlap indicated In Argentina. Maretto and Urcelay areas of greatest risk for incidence of (2000) used GIS to identify and Thc/iorosis. GIS was thus used to portray differentiate in a single map. all the three ut a glance the epizootiological parameters hundred and sixtv-five (365) farms in a relevant to Theliorosis. and to analyze the district of Argentina according to the risk complex relationship between them on a of introducing Foot and Mouth Disease - geographical basis. ll also permitted the appreciation of risk I he development of a GIS database of clusters according to geographical the poultry industry o f the Delmarva distributions to simultaneously prepare Peninsula in the United Stales (Colby ct strategies, and assign human and economic u i 2000). This was for the purpose of resources to disease surveillance and disease surveillance, outbreak control and control measures. This can also be applied emergency management. Knowing the for risk assessment of other diseases at exact location of farms and the nearest road national or regional levels. Ehlers and and water works will enhance control Mollex (2000) used GIS technology to efforts by allowing rapid identification ol spatially separate and analyze densely and infected farms and others that are at risk sparsely populated livestock areas in 120 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ( H »'C» ii/'/i/fi*/ bi/nn>uiti ' in n r y U n it s in * / s o in y i s n l f .p l :n o ltn h t^ y Northwest Lower Saxony in Germany, as nl ;i predictive Icmpora-spatial distribution part o f the strategies lor lighting animal model lo forecast the risk of blue tongue diseases such as classical swine lever virus activity in Australia. An AreView (CSF). T heir w ork was part o f the 3.1“ was used to combine various data European Community (EC) project titled sources (includingdata from the Australian "Development of Prevention and Control N ational A rbo-v irus M onitoring strategies to < n h tress animal health anil P rogram m e), m cte-oro log ical related problems in densely populated observations, livestock distri-butions. livestock areas oj community" (FAIR CT vegetation cover and topography. The 97-3566). collection o f epizootiological data by The area under study was different- remote sensing. Hugh-Jones, (1989) and tiated into sparsely populated livestock Rogers. (199) have applied GIS to areas (SPLA) with 0-50 pigs/knv midsize rem otely sense data to de tec t ticks, populated livestock area (MPHA) 250-300 mosquitoes and trematodes. as well as pigs/km and densely populated livestock tsetse fly respectively. area (DPLA) >300 pigs/km2 A density of At the University o f Ibadan. Nigeria, m ore than 200pigs/km 2 was used as two ongoing projects seek to apply GIS to threshold for declaring as epizootiological identify risk factors for Trypanosomosis risk area. Circles with appropriate radius in its ecological area, and to identify depending on risk factors were drawn veterinary risk factors at Apete village, in around location of outbreaks. For control its neigh-bourhood. These are to help the measures, restrictions ranging from killing University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital animals in inner circle to prohibiting trade provide relevant veterinary services to the in outer circles were to be imposed. By neighbourhood. In one o f the studies using a veterinary GIS shell, the numbers (Oguamanan, Babalobi and Fabiyi. 2001). o f animals within a given circle around three factors conducive to the prevalence every individual farm could be checked. o f Gloss ina palpal is - forest reserve area, An ArcView GIS 3.1R was used to model rivers and animal host locations - were maps showing the predicted probability o f iden tified , buffered and overla id to Arbovirus vector activity in Australia on highlight the potential and medium risk weekly basis The country was thus divided areas to trypanomosis at Apete Village. into two - a zone o f potential viral activity Ibadan. Such application can also be done and the rem a in d er o f the country at regional and national levels to help considered free of virus activity. Such a veterinary practi-tioners, animal health, map was envisaged to enhance Australia’s production and policy planners to identify capability to meet trading partner health problem areas and devise appropriate certification requirem ent and ensure a control strategies. negligible risk o f international spread of GIS p rincip les are to be used to selected A rbovirus (C am eron, 2000). highlight the incidence and distribution of Cameron, (2000a) also reported a system tuberculosis in Ibadan (Cadmus, personal designed to assist with the implementation communication) to typograph the epizoo- 121 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY liu lm lo b i *•/ til tiology of the recent African Swine Fever • How easy is it to learn and read? outbreak in Oyo State. Nigeria (Olugasa, • Does it have good documentation personal communication) and to type the and technical support? dynamics of transhumance pastoralism in • Is the company stable and has long Nigeria (Babalobi, personal communica­ range plans for future development? tion). • Will the features meet the demand of Thrusfield (1997) lias listed some other the current (and future) research G1S application to veterinary and related needs? fields in other countries of the world to • How about future projects? include Aujeszky’s disease (US): bavine tuberculosis (Ireland. New Zealand. UK); There are many types of GIS software in dracunculiasis (West Africa); foot-and- the market, they include AreViewGIS®. mouth disease control (Brazil. New ArTnfoGIS® and EDRASImagine. Others Zealand Gastric cancer (UK): Habitat of include ATLAS G/S®, ALEXANDER« the snail Fossaria builmoic/es ARCARD®. AutoCAD®. EAS/PACE®, (intermediate host of Fasciola hepaliea) ER DAS Imagine® G/S PLUS® GRASS® US. Handing epidemiological data (US); and Map Info® Mosquito population dynamics (US); Site Areview GIS is one of the most widely selection for fish farming (Ghana); used GIS software worldwide. It is Theileriosis (Africa): Tick habitats (St preferred because of its UG1 (user Lucia):. Amblyomma vciriegatum graphical interface) that is a simple, very- (Guadeloupe); Lyme disease tick user-friendly. It is portable and interface distribution (US): Rhipicephalus efficiently with other platforms and appenJiculatus Czechoslovakia. Africa. packages. The programme is modular in structure which encourage efficiency in the CiIS Software operation mode of the package. It possesses extensions and functions form, Various GIS software programmes/ improved functionality and adaptation for products exist to perform the spatial the unique requirement of different project operations task in GIS. (A GIS software is Arcinfo is also a product o f ESRI the computer program that is used to (Environmental Systems Research perform spatial operations i.e. the different Institute) based in Redlands and it is the tasks performed in GIS. There are six basic most popular GIS in the world. Its properties of a GIS software; Automated popularity is based on the architecture; it mapping function. Database management is portable and can be installed even on a function. Typology building, Spatial and very low capacity computer e.g. 286 attribute data linkage. Spatial analysis motherboard. It also has some data model and Output module cleaning capabilities which enable more Vine el al. (1997) have listed some efficient data capture and spatial analyst questions to consider when selecting a GIS Mostly used by a professional, as it software product. These include. requires knowledge of geographic concept 122 IBADAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY (»»•*■».•• it/thh i l l h i/o n w lt lo ii '•» «/»•»•»» l e li'r ln tiry XUthflfu* U rn ln y tc t il F .fjli'in th iln tfy \ iv \ icw anil Aivinlb arc very inhufil. user I he greatest limitation to the m e of friendly aiul haw excellent spalial analyses ( ilS anywhere is the development of ( ilS modules that enable various hum s of database (or map layers) w hich can applications m env ironmental eonlexl account for up to seventy percent (70%) Both are vector-based packages bul have o f time and resources necessary to conduct some extensions to work in the raster research (Biggs and Blliot. 1995) There en\ ironment 1 hey ean be used to produce is thus the need for collaborative efforts precise locations of nondescript features w ith geographers and sta tistic ians to such as street, fan. boundaries, telephone develop such GIS database relevant to poles etc. veterinary medicine in Nigeria. Also the 1 DRASlmagine: this is essentially a accuracy and re levance o f G IS to raster based package but with further epizootiological research depends on the extensions to do bevond raster G1S. It is quality, accuracy, appropriateness and also a robust software and is quite popular relevance of epizootio-logical data fed into in the raster-based analysis. It combines the systems. As noted by Vine at a i ( 1997 ) spatial analysis in the raster environment G IS techno logy may enhance with image processing. epidemiological research by making some Selection o f the software should be steps qu icker, easie r and cheaper to based on the needs o f the researcher and accomplish, it does not replace traditional the software capabilities. Consultation fieldwork based epizootiological methods w ith ( ilS sp ec ia lis t is alw ays and approaches to outbreak investigations recom mended before final selection is and stud ies in the natural history o f made. epizootics. 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