Version 2.0 of the NTD Mapping Tool was launched today in the lead-up to important NTD meetings in Kisumu, Kenya and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The NTD Mapping Tool is an interactive mapping tool for control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) available on www.NTDMap.org. The tool was first launched in September 2013.
Version 2.0 of the mapping tool introduces offline functionality, whereby users can download layers to then use them in their own GIS software if desired without needing an Internet connection.
Rebecca Mann Flueckiger, GIS Specialist of the NTD-Support Center and co-creator of the tool, says:
"The goal of this tool is to empower country programs to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Visually displaying data is powerful for understanding the geographic distribution of these diseases and highlighting success and gaps in control programs. The 2.0 version provides an "offline" option, which gives programs the ability to completely customize the maps with additional GIS layers."
The mapping tool now also uses Google technology: it is hosted on Google Maps Engine and uses Google Earth for the maps.
The tool allows users to create maps for four NTDs: trachoma, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths and lymphatic filariasis. Users can also visualise access to improved water sources and sanitation. The user-friendly tool does not require previous GIS knowledge, and maps can be saved as image files and printed.
The NTD Mapping Tool is a neutral platform available on NTDMap.org. The NTD Mapping Tool is a collaboration between GAHI, the International Trachoma Initiative, Mectizan Donation Program and the NTD Support Center, at the Task Force for Global Health in Decatur, Georgia, and it is possible thanks to generous funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
For more information, visit our Mapping Tool page.
Sample map created with NTD Mapping Tool showing trachoma prevalence and treatment coverage in Africa:
