CIETmap will be open source software under development by the CIET group to help build the community voice into planning. Currently no downloads are made available. CIETmap integrates epidemiological analysis tools with raster and vector mapping capabilities geared towards decision-making for planners. It includes a Windows interface with the statistical programming language, R. Neil Andersson conceived of and designed CIETmap and, with Steven Mitchell, defined its functionality. DM Solutions Group initiated the programming and interface design and Mario Beauchamp now maintains it. Development funding included contributions from the Canadian Assembly of First Nations, CIDA, IDRC and

CIHR The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; ; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the Medical Research Council of Canada. CIHR supports ...

. CIETmap is written in

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...

and uses

PyGTK PyGTK is a set of Python (programming language), Python Adapter pattern, wrappers for the GTK graphical user interface library (computer science), library. PyGTK is free software and licensed under the LGPL. It is analogous to PyQt/PySide and w ...

for its graphical interface. The raster and vector mapping is handled by a custom library built on top of the

GTK+ GTK (formerly GIMP ToolKit and GTK+) is a free software cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It is licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License, allowing both free and proprietary s ...

GDAL The Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) is a computer software library for reading and writing raster and vector geospatial data formats (e.g. shapefile), and is released under the permissive X/MIT style free software license by the ...

and GtkGLExt libraries.

NumPy NumPy (pronounced ) is a library for the Python programming language, adding support for large, multi-dimensional arrays and matrices, along with a large collection of high-level mathematical functions to operate on these arrays. The predeces ...

provides analytical and calculation support and RPy is the Python access to R. The CIET group is currently testing CIETmap to make it available to communities and researchers. Once released, CIETmap will be freely available under the GNU

General Public License The GNU General Public Licenses (GNU GPL or simply GPL) are a series of widely used free software licenses, or ''copyleft'' licenses, that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, or modify the software. The GPL was the first c ...

. CIETmap integrates epidemiological and geomatic analysis on a single platform: Epidemiological analysis: Using commands similar to those in EpiInfo, CIETanalysis produces basic frequencies (like the proportion with a given disease) through to multivariate models of gains (like the proportion that can be "saved" by a given intervention). Users can generate descriptive stats (mean, standard deviation, standard error);

odds ratio An odds ratio (OR) is a statistic that quantifies the strength of the association between two events, A and B. The odds ratio is defined as the ratio of the odds of event A taking place in the presence of B, and the odds of A in the absence of B ...

s, risk difference, gains and confidence intervals. An interface with R gives access to most statistical capabilities available in that language; some of these are available through customised drop-down menus. CIETmap can import data in other formats as

SPSS SPSS Statistics is a statistical software suite developed by IBM for data management, advanced analytics, multivariate analysis, business intelligence, and criminal investigation. Long produced by SPSS Inc., it was acquired by IBM in 2009. Versi ...

dBase dBase (also stylized dBASE) was one of the first database management systems for microcomputers and the most successful in its day. The dBase system included the core database engine, a query system, a Form (programming), forms engine, and a pr ...

or Excel. Other features are available through user friendly interfaces such as meta-analysis, regression modelling, and Bayesian inference. Mapping: The CIETmap module creates interpolated raster maps out of data from sample communities. The software also adjusts for over- or under-representation in the sample communities during the interpolation. It then displays user defined ranges with an associated legend. If they choose, users can see the maps in three dimensions and from different angles. CIETmap can also classify or display administrative boundaries and geographic features, as well as pictorial symbols. A morph/animation module can help make predictions based on epidemiological risk analysis (such as the likely impact of an intervention), or show changes in a situation over time –i.e.: data from repeat surveys. It does this through animation, which makes it easier for viewers to follow the changes, as they happen –or would happen- in each place on the map. These "morph" maps can either be run from within CIETmap or exported to external animated gifs. The first published use of CIETmap's population weighted raster maps came from Afghanistan. These maps have wide applicability for communicating evidence.Mitchell, S; Cockcroft A, Andersson N. (2011). "Population weighted raster maps can communicate findings of social audits: examples from three continents.". BMC Health Services Research. supp2 11: S5. {{doi, 10.1186/1472-6963-11-S2-S14, doi-access=free

References

GIS software Free and open-source software