Consultation
The Geospatial Data Hub at the Rutgers Center for Climate, Health and Health care offers technical support for research projects led by Rutgers faculty focusing on climate, environmental health, and health services research. These services are aimed at promoting geospatial analysis techniques at Rutgers to advance understanding of climate and environmental impacts on health, and reducing access barriers to health services. Our goal is to address a gap in technical expertise in geospatial analysis skills and experience that is common in many Rutgers Health programs with interests in these topics.
What we Offer
Our consultation will provide technical expertise and analysis support to Rutgers faculty seeking to apply geospatial analysis for research projects (manuscripts and grant proposals). Each project will be supported by one faculty expert and geospatial analyst, who will develop a budget with the consultee after learning about the needs of their project.
Consultation service includes:
- Developing geospatial analysis plan for requestor.
- Identifying appropriate geospatial database(s).
- Cleaning and processing of geospatial data for linkage with health data.
- Application of spatial statistical analysis techniques.
- Map creation for dissemination materials.
Examples of prior work by faculty
Association of green space and socioeconomic status with biomarkers of inflammation in two large cohorts of health professionals.
In this publication, Dr. Hari Iyer (Director of Geospatial Data Hub) led a prospective study of men and women in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow Up Study cohorts based at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health to examine how neighborhood environmental contextual factors influence blood biomarkers of inflammation. He appended census tract-level socioeconomic measures and satellite-derived green space measures to 16,000 individuals prior to blood draw. CRP, IL-6, and sTNF-α were assessed from blood samples and used to compute an inflammatory index score. The study found that higher socioeconomic status was associated with 28% lower levels of overall inflammation score in women, and higher geographic concentration of high income residents was associated with 28% lower inflammation score in women and 16% lower inflammation score in men. Higher residential greenspace was associated with 19% lower overall inflammation score in women. These findings suggest that neighborhood contextual factors may impact health through inflammation-related pathways.
Impact of long-term ambient particulate matter and gaseous pollutants on circulating biomarkers of inflammation in male and female health professionals.
In this publication, Dr. Hari Iyer (Director of Geospatial Data Hub) led a study of associations between multiple particulate matter (PM) and gaseous air pollutants and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines within two nationwide cohorts of men and women. The data were obtained from 16,151 women in the Nurses’ Health Study and 7,930 men in the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study. It was found that the associations were generally weak, and the findings support the hypothesis that stimulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine release in response to specific types of pollutants may serve as a potential mechanism through which long-term air pollution exposure leads to adverse chronic diseases. The results suggest that specific pollutant and inflammation associations may vary by sex.
Geospatial evaluation of trade-offs between equity in physical access to healthcare and health systems efficiency
In this publication, Dr. Hari Iyer (Director of Geospatial Data Hub) led a study regarding the geographical placement for healthcare services. For this study, a novel geographical framework was applied to study the trade-offs in four African countries. Geolocation data on population density, health centers, and cancer referral centers in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Rwanda were obtained from online databases. The results obtained showed that thoughtful decisions regarding geographical allocation could increase equitable physical access to services.
Service Tiers and Pricing
| Service Provider | Description | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty | Once we receive your proposal (see below), we will identify a faculty member at Rutgers Health with overlapping expertise and availability to support your project.
The faculty member will develop analysis plan and scope of work, supervises GIS specialist |
$160/hour |
| GIS Analyst | The GIS Analyst will be experienced in GIS (multiple projects completed, able to work independently).
Obtains relevant geospatial data, performs spatial data cleaning and linkages, prepares documentation for requestor and facilitates correspondence between requestor and team |
$60/hour |
How to Request a Consultation
Please complete the form below to request a consultation. Our team will follow up to discuss your needs, timeline, and provide an estimate based on your project.