First 5 California Internet-Based Community Geographic Information System
Principal Investigator
Don Taylor, Epidemiologist
First 5 California (California Children and Families Commission)
Abstract
Objective: First 5 California, a new state agency responsible for allocating program funds to benefit pregnant women and young children, sought a way to assess local community needs across categorical funding streams for the entire state.
Methods: Data collected from a wide variety of organizations were geocoded and analyzed to develop community level risk factors, resources, and characteristics. These data were used to model a desktop geographic information system (GIS), and then to transfer the model to a public internet site.
Results: Numerous examples of important variations in risk factors, resources, and community characteristics are evident in the First 5 California GIS. State and local organization with disparate interests and categorical funding streams have used the GIS for a variety of purposes including locating specific resources, identifying and assessing community needs, targeting resources, integrating programmatic systems, and creating customized maps.
Web Link
Data Files Used
Birth Statistical Master Files (2000-2003)
Keywords
health planning • geographic information systems • prenatal care • teen births