GIS Tutorials Mapped to the Canadian College of Health Information Management’s Curricular Standards
The CHIMA GeoHub includes numerous GIS tutorials relevant to Health Information Management professionals. Below are examples of online tutorials aligned with the CHIMA curricular standards. The tutorials could be self-directed or, if preferred, led by an instructor in a computer lab. Several of the tutorials rely on American demo data, but the workflow could be replicated quite easily with Canadian data. The COVID-19 dashboard tutorial uses Canadian data.
Tutorial #1: Create a COVID-19 Dashboard using ArcGIS Dashboards
Difficulty: Beginner
Software Required: ArcGIS Online
Data: Open, stored within ArcGIS Online and accessible via links in tutorial document
High-level tasks: In this tutorial, you will use ArcGIS Online to explore near real-time data on the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada. You will learn how to create a web map with layers that automatically update with the most up-to-date information, and how to use ArcGIS Dashboards to create your own dashboard to track changes in the level of COVID-19 incidence across Canada.
Health Information Fundamentals Curricular Standards covered in this tutorial:
| Health Information Fundamentals Curricular Standard | Guidance |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Health care statistics | Descriptive statistical theory for continuous and categorical health care data, including central tendency measures (mean, median, mode), nominal/ordinal/interval/ratio data, standard deviation, skewed data, normality, dispersion of data (range, standard deviation), and hospital statistics (% occupancy, ALOS, morbidity and mortality rates, census, patient days, etc.). |
| 4.2 Research design and methods | Representations of statistical analysis results using: charts, graphs, plots, histograms, etc. |
| 4.3 Analytics indicator and reporting policies and processes | Trends in health data. |
Tutorial #2: Prepare a foundational geodatabase for a health emergency
Difficulty: Intermediate
Software Required: ArcGIS Pro
Data: Open, stored within ArcGIS Pro and accessible via links in the tutorial document
High-level tasks: In this tutorial, you will identify, obtain, and import data into a geodatabase to prepare for a fictional health emergency—an outbreak of childhood cooties.
Health Information Fundamentals Curricular Standards covered in this tutorial:
| Health Information Fundamentals Curricular Standard | Guidance |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Information Lifecycle | Information lifecycle management, typical information roles involved in the lifecycle. |
| 1.3 Records and documentation management policies and processes | Needed for interpretability, linkability, and timeliness for insights to be meaningful for care, research, planning, public health, and the general public. |
| 2.1 Data collection and preparation policies and processes | Internal and external health data and information repositories, including but not limited to CIHI, Statistics Canada, Ministries of Health (MoH). |
Tutorial #3: Map racial disparities in breast cancer mortality rates
Difficulty: Intermediate
Software Required: ArcGIS Online
Data: Open, stored within ArcGIS Online and accessible via links in tutorial document
High-level tasks: In this lesson, you’ll investigate the degree of disparity by mapping mortality rates for each of the racial groups.
Health Information Fundamentals Curricular Standards covered in this tutorial:
| Health Information Fundamentals Curricular Standard | Guidance |
|---|---|
| 4.2 Research design and methods | Representations of statistical analysis results using: charts, graphs, plots, histograms, etc. |
| 4.2 Research design and methods | Epidemiological terms such as agent, host, outbreak, endemic, epidemic, population at risk, pandemic, natural history of disease. |
| 4.3 Analytics indicator and reporting policies and processes | Trends in health data. |
| 4.4 Advanced analytics policies and processes | Understand the impact of health equity on different populations (e.g., health impact assessment for populations such as LGBT2SQ, Metis, Inuit, First Nations, and Indigenous, people of colour). |
Software Access:
Esri Canada has created the CHIMA GeoHub for educational purposes to provide members with a platform to explore health topics using mapping and spatial analysis tools in Esri’s ArcGIS software. Access to the GeoHub and availability of the service are strictly managed by Esri, and not CHIMA.
