Geostatistical software for the boundary analysis of cancer maps

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall objective of this project is to develop the first GIS-based software to offer tools that are specifically designed for the boundary analysis of aggregated health data, providing: geostatistical modeling of t he uncertainty attached to the spatial distribution of rates and its propagation through the computation of boundary statistics, interpolation of health outcomes and putative factors to the same spatial support to facilitate boundary overlap analysis, dete ction of significant boundaries accounting for the spatial pattern of rates and multiple testing correction, and visualization of changes in the location of these boundaries through time. This product will allow the detailed investigation of zones of abrup t changes in disease rates, and the exploration of relationships between health outcomes and potential factors, such as environmental exposures, socio- economic conditions, and cancer control methods, leading to: (1) a better understanding of the mechanism s/pathways/causes by which regions influence health outcomes, and (2) long-term quantification of the benefits of current strategies and policies for reducing the observed geographic disparities in cancer incidence, mortality and survival. Instructional ma terials will be developed to promote the use of this relatively new methodology among health scientists. Phase I of the project will: gt Develop and validate through simulation studies geostatistical techniques for modeling spatial uncertainty and statisti cal tests that account for spatial patterns and multiple testing in the detection of significant geographic boundaries in cancer rates and putative factors. gt Conduct a requirements analysis to identify the optimal spatial methods and functionality to inc orporate into the software: TerraSeer Space-Time Intelligence System (STIS ). gt Develop and test a software prototype to detect, visualize and interpret significant boundaries in cancer maps. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The substantial benefit of this resear ch is its utility in documenting, analyzing and interpreting geographic variation in cancer incidence, mortality and survival, and relating these cancer boundaries to boundaries in potential environmental exposures and access to health care. The methods de veloped in this project will help gain a better understanding of the mechanisms/pathways/causes by which regions influence health outcomes, and lead to a long-term quantification of the benefits of current strategies and policies for reducing the observed geographic disparities in cancer incidence, mortality and survival.