Leveraging Google Earth for Public Health: GEMS - Google Earth Map Sharing

Background There are many blogs, websites and forums showcasing Google Earth layers (or maps) relating to public health, but there isn't one place on the internet to find all these layers. This project aims to collect all Google Earth public health layers into one location, a sustainable web 2.0 managed website that will vet and organize the maps into a searchable database that both public health professionals and interested public consumers can access and add to. This presentation presents the foundation and environmental scan results for a Google Earth Map Sharing (GEMS) website. We envision it becoming the go-to place for geographically linked public health information on the internet. The website will explain in simple language how each of the layers can be used and how layers can be merged with one another to make even more dynamic tools. This project is all about information sharing for public health advantage in a Web 2.0 environment. A combination of Google Earth experts and automated web searching tools find existing public health-related Google Earth layers on the internet and bring them to one place, a website, where each layer is reviewed, tagged, and rated, then stored in an organized database that is open to the public and managed by public health professionals. GEMS a sustainable resource with the support of two key public health partnering organizations.