Esri’s global public health team has recently developed the DHIS2-Koop Connector, an initial step in enhancing the interoperability between DHIS2 and the world’s leading geographic information systems (GIS) platform.
Mapping and spatial analysis have been key elements of public health for decades. From mapping disease surveillance, tracking vaccine and medical supply shipments, and assessing environmental risks for potential health outcomes, the benefits of geographic information systems (GIS) have long been evident for those working at the global, national, and local levels.
In 2022, the DHIS2 team at the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo began discussions with Esri, the world’s leading GIS software company, to enhance interoperability between the DHIS2 system and ArcGIS, Esri’s comprehensive geospatial platform. From Esri’s perspective, supporting global health efforts would necessitate working closely with the core team in Oslo to make sure DHIS2 users could easily harness the capabilities of ArcGIS to extend the mapping tools in the DHIS2 system.
At the DHIS2 Annual Conference in June, the Esri team unveiled the DHIS2-Koop Connector, an open-source repository that allows DHIS2 users the ability to present their data in a format that can be visualized and analyzed in the ArcGIS Platform. Koop is an open-source geospatial data transformation and caching engine developed by Esri that provides a flexible and extensible platform for integrating and transforming data from various sources into GeoJSON format.
The output of the DHIS2-Koop Connector is a URL that can be imported into ArcGIS Online, Esri’s Sofware-as-a-Service platform. With ArcGIS Online, users can easily perform several quick actions for analyzing and visualizing data, including binning points into different geographies like subnational units, modeling drive- or walk-time analyses, quickly building dashboards containing maps and infographics, and integrating the DHIS2 data with additional layers from sources such as the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, Esri’s curated repository of wide-ranging geospatial content.
Because Esri’s components work as an integrated system, users can pull their data and visualizations from ArcGIS Online into ArcGIS Pro, Esri’s flagship desktop application. In ArcGIS Pro, users can perform a number of analyses on data ranging from accessibility and suitability modeling to advanced raster and imagery analytics. ArcGIS Pro also allows more in-depth analytical processing for epidemiological inquiries, as well as one-click statistical analysis.
In the coming months, Esri plans to package the capabilities of the DHIS2-Koop Connector in a DHIS2 app, which will give users an even easier way to connect the two systems. Additionally, the Esri team is currently working closely with the Oslo core team to identify countries and implementers who could benefit from this interoperability. Initial pilot projects relying on the connector could pave the way for further interoperability projects that enhance the user experience of those seeking to extend the capabilities of the DHIS2 system.
The DHIS2-Koop Connector is part of a larger suite of initiatives developed by Esri in the past two years for the purpose of supporting the global health community. With the Esri Global Public Health Grant, ministries of health in 111 eligible countries can receive a bundle of Esri software for two years. Additionally, the Geospatial Enablement Program for Global Public Health offers discounted tiers of software (including options with ArcGIS Enterprise) that include training and local support. In terms of learning resources, Esri has also released its open and free Health GIS Curriculum, which offers learners a series of beginning and intermediate modules that teach GIS basics, orient users to Esri’s main products, and trace many of the key workflows that are key to public health.
For more information on the connector and Esri’s software and leveraging the ArcGIS system, please contact Lance Owen (Global Public Health Portfolio Lead) and Valerie Desrosier (Global Public Health Solution Engineer) at globalhealth@esri.com.
