How NCI Uses GIS

Geospatial methods and tools are used in a variety of NCI programs to analyze and visualize geographic variation in cancer incidence and mortality and explore contextual influences on cancer risk.

Environmental Exposures

Built & Social Environment

Access to Health Services

Supporting Cancer Surveillance Activities

Development of cancer reporting zones – define areas with similar populations by subdividing large counties and aggregating small counties

Click images to enlarge

Graphic showing an example of reporting zones in California

Graphic showing an example of reporting zones in Louisiana

Interactive Cancer Surveillance Geovisualization Tools

View NCI Cancer Atlas

View Animated Historical Cancer Atlas

View Tobacco Policy Viewer

Supporting Extramural Research

Spatial database development

UV exposure

Making an objective measure of individual UV exposure for the continental United States for the study of environmental risk factors for melanoma

View County Level UV Exposure Data for the Continen width="350" height="280"tal United States

ADOPT

Providing a set of environmental data layers for obesity research

View Accumulating Data to Optimally Predictwidth="380" height="189" obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures

GeoFLASHE

Augmenting the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) survey results with contextual data about residential and school neighborhoods

View Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) study