The Definition of Place
Place has different definitions, not everyone can define place as one specific location. Some people may see place as a specific location, others may see place as their surroundings. Personally I believe place doesn’t just include your location but your surroundings, the people you’re with are a big part of my definition of place. Since I never really thought of location as something that was relevant to who I was, being able to learn GIS has been interesting to see how so many people use GIS for just about anything. After seeing the movie Crash in class it really gave me insight on how place can be used as an excuse for their actions and in the movie most of the characters blame their neighborhoods for how they are. Their excuse was that because of the place they lived they had to change to be stronger. Specifically Anthony and Peter, they were two men who thought that because they were black and the place where they came from they were judged and cast aside. Since they were angry for being discriminated on they choose to be criminals, and ruined their own lives. What was worst was that they didn’t take any responsibilities for their actions and instead blamed the place they came from and everyone else for their problems. Instead they should’ve realized that their problems weren’t an outcome of where they lived but of their surroundings and the people they associated with, because in the end if their mind was in the right place they could’ve accomplished so many things.
I realized that so many people believe the same thing because I hear people say that if they lived somewhere else things would be different. It’s sad to think that people truly believe that place defines them.
The only time I define place as a location is when looking at data or factual information. Place defined as location has no deeper meaning other than a specific location. When thinking of location I usually think of the surroundings, meaning the environment. Geography means gathering information about the environment and about human society. A geographic information system or geographical information system (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data. GIS can be used to do all types of research, but since I want to be a Pediatrician one of the things I could use GIS is to map out the places that need more medical aid. Another thing I could use GIS is to determine places that have more diseases and have children with low immunity.
While looking for information about biology and GIS I came upon two specific articles, containing information about medical aid. Health care facilities at any region can be divided into two main types that are known as primary health centers and hospitals. The former provides basic health care services and the latter provides services for specific health treatment. Health authorities have always aimed to provide health care for all residents by using a fair access policy that provides the right service at the right time in the right place. There are several issues that make it difficult for it to be successful. One of these issues is related to the relationship between distance to health services and the need for health care. The use of health services influenced also by other factors including financial status, time constrains, social inconveniences and the journey to the health services. In order to explore these issues, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are used by health planners in several studies. These studies have concluded that GIS is a useful technology for analyzing and manipulating health data. The first article is information on how many good quality healthcare there is in low income urban neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio. As opposed to most of the high quality clinics that are expensive and are conveniently placed near the wealthier neighborhoods. According to the article many residents bypass local low quality health clinics. This takes a huge effect on healthcare accessibility and because of the low quality so many people prefer to treat themselves than go with a professional medic. Low income neighborhoods seem to struggle with so many health issues. A specific solution to this issue is locating low cost but high quality health clinics. Of course not many people would agree since sadly a good part of our society are money based human beings and would immediately deny this particular solution because of how it would impact the economy. Helping neighborhoods with low quality health clinics could really help our society in general. What’s ironic is that people fail to understand that most viruses are contagious and eventually if not cured will continue to spread and infect others. Technically, if certain places can’t control viruses then eventually the virus will spread and it will cause a bigger impact on the economy. Which is why it’s more beneficial for everyone to have good quality clinics at a low cost so that low income neighborhoods can have assured access to treatment.
The second article was about mapping cancer and doing research into possible causes of cancer and how it can be prevented. Its high mortality rate, the disabilities it leaves behind and the high cost of medication are the causes of heavy loss in national economy and labor. Cancer maps can provide important clues concerning geographic variability in the incidence, mortality, or treatment of cancer. By using GIS it can work by linking data to maps, via a geographical or spatial link. This spatial link could consist of a point that could be on a map, derived by linking a patient postcode to a grid reference. Alternatively, the spatial link could be a summary of data, aggregated to a geographical area, such as a census or electoral ward. Summary data for each ward can then be linked to the appropriate ward on a map. The tremendous potential of GIS to benefit the health care industry is just now beginning to be realized. Both public and private sectors are developing innovative ways to harness the data integration and spatial visualization power of GIS. Not only can GIS work to map out cancer but also it can be used to map the chances of sick children in specific locations and it would simplify the detection of which location is has the highest probability to have sick children. With this information Pediatricians can be assigned to help children be healthier and more health clinics could be built in these locations to overall help the society.
Overall, there are so many other ways that GIS can be a helpful tool when trying to tie my career path with place. Even though I believe place isn’t relevant to who you are as a person place still matters and is important not only for my discipline but for others as well. Maybe if the opportunity presents itself and I’m able to make a difference and help children I might make my own project into helping children and using GIS will help me choose which place needs the most help and I’ll go there and make a difference.
Works Cited
Elebead, F. M. “Mapping Cancer Disease Using Geographical Information System (GIS) in.” Gezira State-Sudan. 08 Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
Murad, Abdulkader A. “Creating a GIS Application for Health Services at Jeddah City.” ScienceDirect. 2006. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
