Use of computers in environmental management?

Answer 1

it makes life easy for environmental health, it gives comfort due to quick decemination of information

Application of Computer in Environmental Health.

INTRODUCTION:

The computer age offers unprecedented powers to obtain, analyze, and transmit information these powers are especially effective to professions such as environmental health, where networks have always been part of our work. But much of these pronouncements remain more anticipation than celebration, and the information revolution, perhaps like all revolutions, has massive casualties strewn about the cyberspace.

Within environmental health, the use of computers is hardly a new enterprise. Over the years, we have seen a wide array of applications in our field. Indeed, it is increasingly difficult to keep pace with the rapid development of computer applications in our profession.

Such challenges have lead to this series on computers in environmental health. It is part of an ongoing effort to serve the readers of this journal. What makes this effort unique from other computer references is its devotion to our professional membership. We hope to present a balanced view of computer applications, recognizing both the advantages and disadvantages of different applications to our profession. Subsequent articles will focus on specific applications, but this article addresses some of the major questions about getting started, both at the individual and institutional level.

Are computers relevant to environmental health professionals?

Given the aggressive marketing of computers in our society, it is reasonable to ask about the relevance of computers to our profession. At the organizational level, limited budgets add to the skepticism. Of course, this question is open to many answers. For example, a recent article in the Journal offered numerous uses in environmental health. Beyond that, computer tools often represent a solution in search of a problem. However, an initial answer for this series focuses on the following major categories:

* Databases.

Our growing knowledge of physical, chemical, and biological agents is being increasingly cataloged in computer databases. Often, these computerized databases are faster, cheaper, and more comprehensive than their book-bound counterparts.

* Analytic tools.

There are analytic programs in risk assessment and engineering that can enhance the work of our profession. For example, some programs guide the design and evaluation of wastewater treatment facilities. These programs extend the possible responsibilities of environmental health professionals.

* Communication.

Electronic mail can offer contacts not found through more traditional means. If you have access to a computer, all you need is a modem and communications software that operates the modem. A modern gets its name from converting digital output from a computer to signals that can travel across standard telephone lines (modulation), and converting such signals back to digital language used by the computer (demodulation). Together, this MOdulation/DEModulation is called a modem.

The speed of a modem is measured by "baud" rate, generally available up to 9600 baud on most bulletin board systems (BBS). Initial investment in a high baud rate can pay for itself. For example, 9600 baud is eight times as fast as 1200 baud. This difference can quickly pay for itself with the cost of long distance connections.

Computer-phobia

One of the biggest problems with new computer users has a special name: computer-phobia. Sometimes, this phobia becomes an oven skepticism for all computer applications. There are several strategies for dealing with this issue.

* Small steps. It often helps to take small but deliberate steps into the computer field. This series will walk you through the issues one step at a time. It will not replace the many fine manuals that are already available, but instead will assist in critical areas that affect environmental health. Rather than being overwhelmed by a massive single document, the intent is to ease the reader into the world of cyberspace.

* Cost effectiveness. A popular reference compares the jargon of computers with illegal drug use. That is, you buy computers from a dealer, after which you are a user! Both sub-cultures exhibit addictive behaviors that become increasingly expensive over time! Of course, the purpose of computers is not simply to justify more time and money for bigger computers. In the end, we should measure its usefulness by productivity--at the simplest level, this means the effectiveness of the product in light of the time and money it requires. Productivity from computer applications depends on the specific needs of different professionals, and we intend to guide the reader to the issues that may determine cost effectiveness.

IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTER IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

1. Health information technology

(HIT) provides the umbrella framework to describe the comprehensive management of health information across computerized systems and its secure exchange between consumers, providers, government and quality entities, and insurers. Health information technology (HIT) is in general increasingly viewed as the most promising tool for improving the overall quality, safety and efficiency of the health delivery system (Chaudhry et al., 2006). Broad and consistent utilization of HIT will:

• Improve health care quality;
• Prevent medical errors;
• Reduce health care costs;
• Increase administrative efficiencies
• Decrease paperwork; and
• Expand access to affordable care.

Interoperable HIT will improve individual patient care, but it will also bring many public health benefits including:

• Early detection of infectious disease outbreaks around the country;
• Improved tracking of chronic disease management; and
• Evaluation of health care based on value enabled by the collection of de-identified price and quality information that can be compared.

2.The application of GIS in environmental health sciences

Understanding the complex spatio-temporal relationships between environmental pollution and disease and identifying exposures to environmental hazards in high-risk populations are essential elements of an effective environmental and public health management program. Modern computer technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), provide cost-effective tools for evaluating interventions and policies potentially affecting health outcomes. GIS analysis or display of environmental health data is also helpful in explaining disease patterns in terms of relationships with social, institutional, technological, and natural environments. This paper examines major issues related to the application of GIS in environmental health sciences. Specifically, the paper presents and discusses the basic principles, potential benefits, and major limitations of GIS in environmental health research. A real-world example application involving development and implementation of a prototype system called EMPHASIS (Environmental and Public Health data analysis System) to facilitate management, analysis, display, and presentation of environmental, socio-demographic, and health outcome data in Iowa is described. From the discussions and the example application, it is concluded that GIS can significantly add value to environmental and public health data in areas such as exploratory data analysis, hypotheses generation, confirmatory data analysis, and decision-making. The widespread adoption of GIS in these areas, however, is impeded by issues such as inconsistent spatial scales of the data, data quality and currency, lack of appropriate statistical functions for data analysis and interpretation, and data security and confidentiality.

Answer 2

Environmental studies include the aggregation and analysis of huge amounts of data. Computers are uniquely capable of automated collection, conversion, storage, and helpful in interpretation of large amounts of data. The use of computers has made possible what was previously impossible using any other methods previously available to this field of study.

Answer 3

Application f computer in