Geostatistical software for the boundary analysis of cancer maps

说明(申请人提供)：这个项目的总体目标是开发第一个基于地理信息系统的软件，提供专门为综合健康数据的边界分析设计的工具，提供：对发病率空间分布的不确定性及其通过计算边界统计数据传播的地质统计建模，将健康结果和假定因素内插到相同的空间支持，以便于边界重叠分析，检测说明发病率的空间模式的重要边界和多重检验校正，以及可视化这些边界的位置随时间的变化。该产品将有助于对发病率突变区域进行详细调查，并探索健康结果与潜在因素之间的关系，如环境暴露、社会经济条件和癌症控制方法，从而：(1)更好地了解各地区影响健康结果的机制/途径/原因，(2)长期量化现有战略和政策的好处，以减少已观察到的癌症发病率、死亡率和存活率的地理差异。将开发教学材料，在卫生科学家中推广使用这一相对较新的方法。该项目的第一阶段将：&gt；通过模拟研究开发和验证地统计学技术，用于模拟空间不确定性和统计测试，这些测试在检测癌症发病率和假定因素中的重要地理边界时考虑到空间模式和多重测试。&gt；进行需求分析，以确定要整合到软件中的最佳空间方法和功能：TerraSeer时空情报系统(STIS)。&gt；开发和测试一个软件原型，以检测、可视化和解释癌症地图中的重要边界。公共卫生相关性这项研究的主要好处在于它有助于记录、分析和解释癌症发病率、死亡率和存活率的地理差异，并将这些癌症边界与潜在环境暴露和获得医疗保健的边界联系起来。该项目开发的方法将有助于更好地了解区域影响健康结果的机制/途径/原因，并有助于长期量化当前战略和政策的益处，以减少观察到的癌症发病率、死亡率和存活率的地理差异。

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 the 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, detection 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 abrupt 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 mechanisms/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 materials will be developed to promote the use of this relatively new methodology among health scientists. Phase I of the project will: > Develop and validate through simulation studies geostatistical techniques for modeling spatial uncertainty and statistical tests that account for spatial patterns and multiple testing in the detection of significant geographic boundaries in cancer rates and putative factors. > Conduct a requirements analysis to identify the optimal spatial methods and functionality to incorporate into the software: TerraSeer Space-Time Intelligence System" (STIS"). > Develop and test a software prototype to detect, visualize and interpret significant boundaries in cancer maps. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The substantial benefit of this research 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 developed 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.