With some extra time on my hands I have been exploring how to make my research more accessible and started a new weekly short series - Tackling global challenges with GIS.
During this process I discovered some new tools that really help in story telling and as such explored how to use this to make science more accessible. There is a lot of really interesting research hidden in dry research articles so am using these tools to help bring this research alive so that you too can learn some neat things about our world. The Tackling Global Challenges with GIS series was made with the help of Google NotebookLM.
On my YouTube channel @justineblanford2030 you will find videos on a variety of GIS related topics.
Mapping vector-borne diseases. Mapping malaria hotspots.
In this study, twenty years of malaria maps are analysed to determine where key malaria hotspots are located and how they are changing. Watch the video and listen to the podcast to learn more about how GIS can be used to explore the distribution of malaria and how this is changing over time.
For more information visit: malaria hotspots in Kenya
Mapping accessibility to health services. Accessibility to vaccination centers by bicycle.
In this study, accessibility using a common mode of transportation such as a bicycle is used to explore how accessible vaccination centers were during the mass vaccination campaign in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020-2023. Watch the video and listen to the podcast to learn more about how GIS can be used to explore accessibility by bicycle.
For more information visit: Accessibility by bicycle
Mapping sinkholes. Frost-freeze events in fruit-growing regions can result in costly and castrophic outcomes.
In this study, the link between protecting a crop such as strawberries and sinkholes is examined and the economic consequences of protecting these crops during a frost-freeze event. A link between water extraction and sinkholes was found and an alternative method was explored. Watch the video and listen to the podcast to learn more on how strawberries and sinkholes are linked.
For more information visit: Strawberries and sinkholes.
Mapping accessibility to health services. Access to health services in a timely manner is important and we can make a difference as illustrated in this study.
This work was part of a larger project where we looked at the critical issue of geographic access to health facilities using different modes of transport as well as how accessibility can change with a change in seasons. The research ultimately serves as a blueprint for improvement, demonstrating that placing just 17 new, strategically located health clinics could drastically increase access to care for hundreds of thousands of people, proving that data-driven placement is vital for saving lives.
For more information visit: A long, long walk to health.
Mapping the variability in performance of green pest control agent and why this matters. This is particularly important if we do want to use greener and more sustainable solutions moving forward.
This work, although I did for my PhD which was the start of my journey into GIS and human health. The same principles I use for malaria risk mapping, but more on that in a later episode.
For more information visit: locusts and biocontrol