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Improving Human Health Risk Assessments using CGDI Endorsed Geospatial Technologies
The goal of this project is to expand the use of geospatial tools to help human-health risk assessors evaluate thousands of contaminated or potentially contaminated sites in Canada and to follow up on their remediation.
To accomplish this goal, the project will develop plans for using geomatics to improve the accuracy and efficiency of risk assessments. The plans will also be used to enhance access to information that supports evaluating human health risk near contaminated sites. In particular, the latter could allow assessors to respond more quickly to human health abnormalities noted during evaluations.
Health Canada requires a strategic plan for integrating and disseminating location-based data and knowledge. The organization also needs to build geographic information systems (GIS) knowledge and capacity for risk assessors and their information providers. To date, these skill sets are limited and underutilized.
In addressing these limitations, the project will expand the understanding of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) among project partners. Specifically, the project will help educate human-health risk assessors and the surveillance community on the importance and benefits of adopting geospatial standards. This understanding, combined with the introduction of spatial tools, will greatly improve contaminated-site assessments in Canada by enhancing information access, sharing, and analysis.
Primary Partner:
Health Canada, Contaminated Sites Division
Ottawa,
Ontario;
Partners: Public Works and Government Services Canada, Atlantic Region; Environment Canada, Atlantic Region; Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Health Program
Funding From GeoConnections: $33,000.00 ( 29.0 %)
Estimated Inception Date: December 1, 2007
Estimated Completion Date: March 20, 2008
Deliverables from this project benefitted the following provinces: