Development of Web-Based GIS Alert System for Informing Environmental Risk of Dengue Infections in Major Cities of Pakistan

Abstract

Dengue is one of the emerging major public health problems, and its incidence varies with climate conditions. It affects millions of people's lives owing to unusual socioeconomic conditions and epidemiological factors. This study was designed to build a web-based GIS alert system for dengue data management and analysis which would centralize information and make it accessible to all relevant stakeholders before, during, and after crises. Three geographical regions were selected in this study. The user interface of the dengue alert system was developed based upon MapGuide. Results indicate that risk level was mainly associated with Breteau Index. Karachi and Lahore were at their highest risk, i.e., level 4. Islamabad and Chakwal were also at the highest risk, i.e., level 4. Attock had high risk, i.e., level 3 followed by Haripur with minimal level 1. The high Breteau Index showed a direct relationship to high potential transmission of dengue outbreaks, a more significant peak of dengue was the result of monsoons, while smaller peaks were observed due to domestic water storage. Hence, it was concluded that monsoon is the best suitable season for the development of dengue. Web-Based GIS Alert System for dengue data management and analysis was developed, centralizing information and making it accessible to all relevant stakeholders before, during & after a crisis. This program creation will provide a more analytical forum for advising multiple levels of risk and an experimental method for measuring the effect of different factors on risk level distribution by adjusting the component's weighting. Keywords : Dengue; GIS analysis; GUI; Alert system; Breteau index; Weighted overlay   Copyright (c) 2021 Geosfera Indonesia and Department of Geography Education, University of Jember This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share A like 4.0 International License