Considerations for Using a Geographic Information System to Assess Environmental Supports for Physical Activity

The use of a geographic information system (GIS) to study environmental supports for physical activity raises several issues, including acquisition and development, quality, and analysis. We recommend to public health professionals interested in using GIS that they investigate available data, plan for data development where none exists, ensure the availability of trained personnel and sufficient time, and consider issues such as data quality, analyses, and confidentiality. This article shares information about data-related issues that we encountered when using GIS to validate responses to a questionnaire about environmental supports for physical activity

Model Results and Software Comparisons in Myrtle Beach, SC Using Virtual Beach and R Regression Toolboxes

Utilizing R software and a variety of data sources, daily forecasts of bacteria levels were developed and automated for beach waters in Myrtle Beach, SC. Modeled results are then shown for beach locations via a website and mobile device app. While R provides a robust set of tools for use in forecast modeling, the software has an extensive learning curve and requires skilled statistical interpretation of results. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the “Virtual Beach” software package to address these concerns. To evaluate the utility of the more user-friendly Virtual Beach modeling toolbox, predictive models were developed and model results were analyzed using the two software suites. Recommendations were made based on ease of use and several performance measures. Model results indicate the two software toolboxes yield comparable outputs. However, Virtual Beach tends to create more robust model forecasts, while R provides more options for model setup and outputs

Model Performance Results in Myrtle Beach, SC Using Virtual Beach and R Regression Software

2014 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Informing Strategic Water Planning to Address Natural Resource, Community and Economic Challenge