What GIS Mapping Technology Can Tell You About the Health of Your Neighborhood and Your Risk for Illness

San Bernardino, a city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles’ exurban sprawl, is a veritable “food desert.” For every grocery store or otherwise “healthy” food outlet, the city has eight fast-food joints, convenience stores and other junk food purveyors — along with rampant heart disease, lung cancer and diabetes rates and a life expectancy eight years shorter than the average Californian. With such looming health issues and relatively few parks and recreational spaces, San Bernardino places near the bottom in state quality of life rankings. But, in one respect, the city is ahead of others grappling with epidemic lifestyle-related illnesses: It’s aiming GIS or “geographic information systems” at the problem.

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Tagged cities, gis, health, san bernardino