Public Health, GISTDA sign MoU to use GISTDA technologies for Thailand Health Atlas

The permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry and the chief of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to share technologies for developing the Thailand Health Atlas.

The MoU signing ceremony, held at the Public Health Permanent Secretary Office, was attended by Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin and witnessed by Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong and GISTDA Director Dr. Pakorn Apaphant.

Somsak said his ministry needed to utilise space and geo-informatics technology, as well as GISTDA's expertise, to develop its ambitious Thailand Health Atlas project for better public healthcare.

He added that the geo-informatics technology from GISTDA would allow the Public Health Ministry to deliver public health services tailored to specific areas across the country.

Moreover, Somsak revealed that his ministry had signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation to develop an AI system to better utilise the health atlas system.

According to Somsak, the ministry and GISTDA aim to develop the Thailand Health Atlas into a comprehensive health mapping system that will collect, process, and display health data in map form. The main goal is to make spatial health data easily and efficiently accessible to public health agencies and the public.

Key Features and Objectives of the Project:

Geospatial Data Integration: The project’s core uses geospatial information to understand the distribution of health-related issues, including housing locations with geographic coordinates, which is crucial for a localized approach.

Data Collection: The system collects various types of health data, including:

• Personal health status
• Information on Village Health Volunteers
• Chronic disease data (e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure)
• Disability information
• Data on disease surveillance and non-communicable disease (NCD) screenings

Analysis and Visualization: The platform enables the visualization of data on maps, showing the distribution of diseases and other health-related statistics. This helps analyse health trends and identify areas that need special attention.

Collaboration with GISTDA: The project has a strong collaboration with GISTDA, leveraging its expertise in space technology and geo-informatics to enhance the Thailand Health Atlas. This partnership aims to make the data more accurate and comprehensive, enabling more precise health management and research. 

Practical Applications: The Thailand Health Atlas will serve as a tool for:

• Disease Surveillance: Monitoring and tracking the spread of diseases and health threats in communities.
• Resource Allocation: Supporting the planning and allocation of public health resources.
• Community Healthcare: Assisting health volunteers and officials in tracking health data in their assigned areas.