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The government is using figures showing the number of people going to their GP with flu-like illness to track the spread of swine flu.
Purely as an experiment, I have mapped these figures (based on more than 3,400 practices involved in a Nottingham University/Health Protection Agency programme) for the primary care trusts in the North East.
Click here to see the full map - a sample picture is below. The red markers are PCTs with what are considered "significantly high results". Click on the markers or PCT names for figures. The stats used are for the week commencing 6 July - the latest available to me at the time of writing.
Swine flu Google map sample
I have used the Google Maps API which allows you to map a list of your own points and information using JavaScript. I've not done it before and had to follow tutorials (and copy code) from a helpful website. That's why it doesn't look very good.
All the existing Internet swine flu maps that I've found look a bit irrelevant now it is very widely spread. The BBC has been tracing global spread, there are attempts to aggregate news stories, and to create maps through mass collaboration.
The numerous barriers to properly mapping area-by-area pressure in the UK include:
- The Department of Health has not been forthcoming with data that is being collected on swine flu related inpatient numbers and how pressured services are. The DH says these figures are not reliable enough to be made public.
- The consultation rate data mentioned above is only released weekly, and delayed by a week, though it is collected daily and appears to be available to the DH a little earlier.
- The GP data is provided as a pdf file. Copying it to a format that can translate to Google Maps takes a long time and would have to be repeated each week/day.
- You have to look up the longitude and latitude for each PCT. Obviously it should be whole PCT areas that are mapped not specific points. This is probably possible using the Google Maps API but much more complicated.
The problems could be overcome by authorities supplying more information in a more useful way, and more time and resource investment. There is plenty of health information in addition to swine flu figures, and usually more reliable, which could be made much more accessible.
But would that sort of information be useful to NHS managers? Probably not unless it was a lot more "real time" and detailed than what is already out there. Would it be useful, or of interest, to other NHS staff? Possibly. Would it be of interest to the public? Probably.
Would it be useful to the NHS for the public to have better access to more of this information? There may be risks such as causing alarm. It should be accurate and sensibly presented. But it would support choice and patients' involvement in their own care. It can inform decisions and possibly balance and reduce demand.
Should the DH and its information outposts (Choices, Direct) be providing more? If there is unmet demand, why is no one else stepping in to provide the information?
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Readers' comments (6)
Roger McCarthy | 27-Jul-2009 2:10 pm
Interesting map - been planning on doing something similar for other PCT data.
What co-ordnates did you use to locate your icons?
PCT headquarters postcodes?
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Dave West | 28-Jul-2009 9:40 am
Hi Roger. I looked up the PCT headquarters on Google Maps and made sure it was centred on the screen (click right on its tab). If you then click on "link" to get the direct URL, the "ll=" value gives you the co-ordinates.
Tutorial website (http://econym.org.uk/gmap/index.htm) was very helpful if you're learning from scratch.
Let me know how it goes.
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Dave West | 28-Jul-2009 9:40 am
Hi Roger. I looked up the PCT headquarters on Google Maps and made sure it was centred on the screen (click right on its tab). If you then click on "link" to get the direct URL, the "ll=" value gives you the co-ordinates.
Tutorial website (http://econym.org.uk/gmap/index.htm) was very helpful if you're learning from scratch.
Let me know how it goes.
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Malcolm Titchmarsh | 28-Jul-2009 6:23 pm
Hi Dave,
If you are interested in thematic shading of data overlayed on top of google maps, then www.publichealthmaps.com can do this.
NHS employees can sign up for a trial account. They don't have any swine flu data yet but they have the technology to map it in the way you were describing and users can publish their own data from Excel. The google maps API doesn't support thematic shading itself - it requires 3rd party software.
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Andrew Holford | 29-Jul-2009 2:52 pm
The information on geo spread of Flu seems to be being restricted due to "resource limitations"; but is someone playing with "smoke and mirrors"? There has been adverse comment on the manning professionalism of the new pandemic line but I suggest this can be both the source and solution to the problem.
It is simple for all those inbound calls, even those from mobiles to be traced to a geo "STD code" location. Simply re-entering the phone numbers of people given a scrip and you'll get two lists, the first is callers with no apparent infection and the second list is those who are ill. The maps are then then automatically produced real-time. The technology is there (we use it!) and the inputs and results can be fully automated. If the relevant authorities want us to see this information then they can procure it at low cost and without a drain on "pressured resources". So why is it not being done?
Cynics may suggest there is pressure to hide the 2005 findings in the Cabinet Office's Guidance: Contingency planning for a possible influenza Pandemic, 2005. Or maybe no-one has yet realised the data is already being collated and simply needs a system to reveal the information?
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Sean Rushforth | 14-Aug-2009 12:27 pm
The date in which swine flu vaccines will be given to high risk groups is coming ever closer.
In the biggest vaccination programme in over 40 years will you have a swine flu vaccine if offered?
Please vote here
Swine Flu Vaccine
.
or
.
http://www.swineflubritain.co.uk/#/vaccine/4535175275
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