In the summer of 1854, 127 people in or near Broad Street in the Solo district of London died of cholera. By talking to the residents of the area, the British physician John Snow identified the source of the outbreak as the public water pump on Broad Street.
Snow’s spot map showing how deaths were clustered in the houses near the pump is a classic of epidemiology — and of mapmaking, said Aaron Addison, University Geographic Information Systems (GIS) coordinator.
“He had the philosophy that place is important,” Addison said.
The sixth annual GIS symposium, which takes place this year from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in Whitaker Hall Auditorium, will feature 21st-century versions of Snow’s maps.
They are especially relevant today as scientists look to maps to figure out trends and insights into the H1N1 and West Nile pandemics. One session will feature two School of Medicine scientists, Alexis M. Elward, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, and Min Lian, M.D., Ph.D., research instructor in epidemiology and medicine, describing how they were able to use GIS to gain insight into the recent pandemics.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend workshops that will provide instructions in ArcGIS, the GIS software the University licenses, and learn how to access and map online data.
The University also will announce the creation of a Certificate in GIS program at the symposium. More information about the certificate can be found at ucollege.wustl.edu/gis.
Addison said the usage of GIS at the University climbs every year, although the interest is greater now in the areas of education and the humanities in Arts & Sciences and in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, where GIS still has buzz, than in the sciences where it has matured and is part of accepted methods.
The symposium is free but registration is required. For information and to register, visit gis.wustl.edu or call Bill Winston at 935-8426.