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Built Environments
Built Environment 3
Background
Built Environment, Part 3 (ArcGIS) See the Guide and video for ArcGIS in the Toolbox within the course in 2BU. Increasingly in public health, mapping tools are being used to better understand where people live and the resources (e.g., parks) available to them within their communities. ArcGIS is one mapping tool that is available for examining the availability of resources as well as the demographic make-up of an area. ArcGIS can be used to identify high-risk populations to target for community health interventions. For example, the health status of low socioeconomic status (SES) communities is worse off than higher SES communities. Since income is a significant predictor of health outcomes, public health practitioners often use US Census Data to identify low SES areas for community-level health interventions. For this part of the built environment assignment, students will become familiar with ArcGIS.
Assignment
- Part #1: Pre-Recorded Video: Students will learn how to use ArcGIS Online to interact with geospatial layers in order to map various demographic and environmental factors in their assigned cities.
- Part #2: Walk-Through During Class: Students will learn how to use the ArcGIS Online Community Analyst to select four parks and to describe the demographic and health status of residents near these parks.
Deliverables
- Part #1: Submit a URL to an ArcGIS Online interactive map focused on your city and containing the following layers:
- Population density
- Household Income
- Education Level
- Parks
- Part #2: Submit a document (MS Word or PDF format) with a screenshot of your city with four parks labeled with the park name and whether the health status of the surrounding residents are HIGH, MEDIUM, or LOW.
