Key publications
Cinnamon J (2017). Social injustice in surveillance capitalism.
Surveillance and Society,
15(5), 609-625.
Abstract:
Social injustice in surveillance capitalism
A rapidly accelerating phase of capitalism based on asymmetrical personal data accumulation poses significant concerns for
democratic societies, yet the concepts used to understand and challenge practices of dataveillance are insufficient or poorly
elaborated. Against a backdrop of growing corporate power enabled by legal lethargy and the secrecy of the personal data
industry, this paper makes explicit how the practices inherent to what Shoshana Zuboff calls ‘surveillance capitalism’ are threats
to social justice, based on the normative principle that they prevent parity of participation in social life. This paper draws on
Nancy Fraser’s theory of ‘abnormal justice’ to characterize the separation of people from their personal data and its accumulation
by corporations as an economic injustice of maldistribution. This initial injustice is also the key mechanism by which further
opaque but significant forms of injustice are enabled in surveillance capitalism—sociocultural misrecognition which occurs when
personal data are algorithmically processed and subject to categorization, and political misrepresentation which renders people
democratically voiceless, unable to challenge misuses of their data. In situating corporate dataveillance practices as a threat to
social justice, this paper calls for more explicit conceptual development of the social harms of asymmetrical personal data
accumulation and analytics, and more hopefully, attention to the requirements needed to recast personal data as an agent of
equality rather than oppression.
Abstract.
Full text.
Cinnamon J, Jones SK, Adger WN (2016). Evidence and future potential of mobile phone data for disease disaster management.
Geoforum,
75, 253-264.
Full text.
Thatcher J, Bergmann L, Ricker B, Rose-Redwood R, O Sullivan D, Barnes TJ, Barnesmoore LR, Beltz Imaoka L, Burns R, Cinnamon J, et al (2016). Revisiting critical GIS.
Environment and Planning A,
48(5), 815-824.
Full text.
Cinnamon J (2015). Deconstructing the binaries of spatial data production: Towards hybridity.
The Canadian Geographer,
59, 35-51.
Abstract:
Deconstructing the binaries of spatial data production: Towards hybridity
inaries, the most reductive form of categorization, can be usefully invoked to characterize emerging phenomena; yet, they are widely critiqued for oversimplifying a complex world and for their use as tools of social and political influence. Through a literature review and content analysis this article traces the emergence of volunteered geographic information (VGI), and identifies the recurrent use of several related binaries to contrast this phenomenon with the conventional spatial data production activities of states and corporations. Using several key examples, these binaries are deconstructed by identifying a mismatch in how VGI is conceptualized (bottom-up, amateur, asserted) in the literature and the reality of existing VGI projects. As an alternative to a binary conceptualization of spatial data production, a different representation is put forward that more accurately depicts what is in actuality a vast, shifting, and heterogeneous landscape of spatial data production approaches. Thinking about contemporary spatial data production not as a binary but as a continuum could encourage the development of hybridities that harness the benefits of different approaches—including the oversight and quality control of conventional methods, with the speed, low cost, and distributed nature of citizen-based spatial data production.
Abstract.
Full text.
(2013). Confronting the data-divide in a time of spatial turns and volunteered geographic information.
GeoJournal,
78(4), 657-674.
Abstract:
Confronting the data-divide in a time of spatial turns and volunteered geographic information
Geography is enjoying a period of unparalleled visibility, driven by the growing use of geographic methods and concepts across the sciences and humanities-the so-called spatial turn-and the pervasive use of geospatial Web technologies and their concomitant influence on society, especially the phenomenon of volunteered geographic information (VGI). The field of public health is beginning to harness spatiality with gusto; however, the geospatial Web and its social phenomena are underexplored in this context even though they may be particularly useful for public health enquiry, especially in low-resource settings that lack traditional data collection mechanisms. A case study framed within these two current phenomena is presented to illustrate the influence of geography and its potential for addressing the data-divide-the disparity in availability of data for scientific enquiry and decision-making most felt in low-and middle income countries. A facilitated VGI data collection initiative collected public health-related injury data in Cape Town, South Africa, as a pragmatic alternative given the lack of data from traditional sources. Emergency medical services personnel interacted with a GeoWeb interface to volunteer their informed opinions of high-incident injury locations. Previously unrecorded injury location data were created, and combined with traditional injury data for use in an ongoing study examining the environmental determinants of injury in this setting, which speaks to the possibility for hybrid authoritative/asserted data collection strategies. This study speaks to the growing influence of geography and one of its driving forces, the techno-social revolution in geospatial technology and data. Future work should continue to examine their potential to address the data-divide. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Abstract.
Schuurman N, Cinnamon J, Matzopoulos R, Fawcett V, Nicol A, Hameed SM (2011). Collecting injury surveillance data in low- and middle-income countries: the Cape Town Trauma Registry pilot.
Global Public Health,
6(8), 874-889.
Abstract:
Collecting injury surveillance data in low- and middle-income countries: the Cape Town Trauma Registry pilot.
Injury is a major public health issue, responsible for 5 million deaths each year, equivalent to the total mortality caused by HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. The World Health Organisation estimates that of the total worldwide deaths due to injury, more than 90% occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Despite the burden of injury sustained by LMIC, there are few continuing injury surveillance systems for collection and analysis of injury data. We describe a hospital-based trauma surveillance instrument for collection of a minimum data-set for calculating common injury scoring metrics including the Abbreviated Injury Scale and the Injury Severity Score. The Cape Town Trauma Registry (CTTR) is designed for injury surveillance in low-resource settings. A pilot at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town was conducted for one month to demonstrate the feasibility of systematic data collection and analysis, and to explore challenges of implementing a trauma registry in a LMIC. Key characteristics of the CTTR include: ability to calculate injury severity, key minimal data elements, expansion to include quality indicators and minimal drain on human resources based on few fields. The CTTR provides a strategy to describe the distribution and consequences of injury in a high trauma volume, low-resource environment.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Publications by year
2018
Bagelman J, Cinnamon J (2018). Border enforcement & the university: a conversation.
Society & Space,
Walking Out, 1-5.
Full text.
Bagelman J, Cinnamon J (2018). Home Office rules mean non-British academics can be denied right to strike.
Author URL.
Web link.
Cinnamon J, Ronquillo C (2018). mHealth Geographies: Mobile Technologies and Health in the Global South. In Crooks V, Andrews GJ, Pearce J (Eds.)
Routledge Handbook of Health Geography.
Full text.
2017
Beduschi A, Cinnamon J, Langford J, Luo C, Owen D (2017).
Building Digital Identities: the Challenges, Risks and Opportunities of Collecting Behavioural Attributes for new Digital Identity Systems. University of Exeter and Coelition. 39 pages.
Abstract:
Building Digital Identities: the Challenges, Risks and Opportunities of Collecting Behavioural Attributes for new Digital Identity Systems.
Abstract.
Full text.
Cinnamon J (2017). Social injustice in surveillance capitalism.
Surveillance and Society,
15(5), 609-625.
Abstract:
Social injustice in surveillance capitalism
A rapidly accelerating phase of capitalism based on asymmetrical personal data accumulation poses significant concerns for
democratic societies, yet the concepts used to understand and challenge practices of dataveillance are insufficient or poorly
elaborated. Against a backdrop of growing corporate power enabled by legal lethargy and the secrecy of the personal data
industry, this paper makes explicit how the practices inherent to what Shoshana Zuboff calls ‘surveillance capitalism’ are threats
to social justice, based on the normative principle that they prevent parity of participation in social life. This paper draws on
Nancy Fraser’s theory of ‘abnormal justice’ to characterize the separation of people from their personal data and its accumulation
by corporations as an economic injustice of maldistribution. This initial injustice is also the key mechanism by which further
opaque but significant forms of injustice are enabled in surveillance capitalism—sociocultural misrecognition which occurs when
personal data are algorithmically processed and subject to categorization, and political misrepresentation which renders people
democratically voiceless, unable to challenge misuses of their data. In situating corporate dataveillance practices as a threat to
social justice, this paper calls for more explicit conceptual development of the social harms of asymmetrical personal data
accumulation and analytics, and more hopefully, attention to the requirements needed to recast personal data as an agent of
equality rather than oppression.
Abstract.
Full text.
Sui D, Cinnamon J (2017). Volunteered geographic information. In Richardson D, Castree N, Goodchild MF, Kobayashi A, Liu W, Marston RA (Eds.)
The International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment, and Technology, Wiley and the American Association of Geographers.
Abstract:
Volunteered geographic information
Abstract.
Full text.
2016
Cinnamon J, Jones SK, Adger WN (2016). Evidence and future potential of mobile phone data for disease disaster management.
Geoforum,
75, 253-264.
Full text.
Thatcher J, Bergmann L, Ricker B, Rose-Redwood R, O Sullivan D, Barnes TJ, Barnesmoore LR, Beltz Imaoka L, Burns R, Cinnamon J, et al (2016). Revisiting critical GIS.
Environment and Planning A,
48(5), 815-824.
Full text.
Cinnamon J, Sui DZ (2016). Spaces and Places: Engaging a Mixed-Methods Approach for Exploring the Multiple Geographies of Pedestrian Injury. In Giesbrecht M, Crooks VA (Eds.)
Place, Health and Diversity: Learning from the Canadian Experience, Ashgate, 96-118.
Full text.
2015
Cinnamon J (2015). Deconstructing the binaries of spatial data production: Towards hybridity.
The Canadian Geographer,
59, 35-51.
Abstract:
Deconstructing the binaries of spatial data production: Towards hybridity
inaries, the most reductive form of categorization, can be usefully invoked to characterize emerging phenomena; yet, they are widely critiqued for oversimplifying a complex world and for their use as tools of social and political influence. Through a literature review and content analysis this article traces the emergence of volunteered geographic information (VGI), and identifies the recurrent use of several related binaries to contrast this phenomenon with the conventional spatial data production activities of states and corporations. Using several key examples, these binaries are deconstructed by identifying a mismatch in how VGI is conceptualized (bottom-up, amateur, asserted) in the literature and the reality of existing VGI projects. As an alternative to a binary conceptualization of spatial data production, a different representation is put forward that more accurately depicts what is in actuality a vast, shifting, and heterogeneous landscape of spatial data production approaches. Thinking about contemporary spatial data production not as a binary but as a continuum could encourage the development of hybridities that harness the benefits of different approaches—including the oversight and quality control of conventional methods, with the speed, low cost, and distributed nature of citizen-based spatial data production.
Abstract.
Full text.
Schuurman N, Cinnamon J, Walker BB, Fawcett V, Nicol A, Matzopoulos R (2015). Intentional injury and violence in Cape Town, South Africa: an epidemiological analysis of trauma admissions data.
Global Health Action,
8(1).
Abstract:
Intentional injury and violence in Cape Town, South Africa: an epidemiological analysis of trauma admissions data
Background: Injury is a truly global health issue that has enormous societal and economic consequences in all countries. Interpersonal violence is now widely recognized as important global public health issues that can be addressed through evidence based interventions. In South Africa, as in many low- and middle-income countries, a lack of ongoing, systematic injury surveillance has limited the ability to characterize the burden of violence-related injury and to develop prevention programs.
Objective: to describe the profile of trauma presenting to the trauma centre of Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa – relating to interpersonal violence, using data collected from a newly implemented surveillance system. Particular emphasis was placed on temporal aspects of injury epidemiology, as well as age and sex differentiation.
Design: Data were collected prospectively using a standardized trauma admissions form for all patients presenting to the trauma center. An epidemiological analysis was conducted on 16 months of data collected from June 2010 to October 2011.
Results: 8445 patients were included in the analysis, in which the majority were violence-related. Specifically, 35% of records included violent trauma and, of those, 75% of victims were male. There was a clear temporal pattern: a greater proportion of intentional injuries occur during the night, while unintentional injury peaks late in the afternoon. Fully 2/3 of all intentional trauma is inflicted on the weekends as is 60% of unintentional trauma. Where alcohol was recorded in the record, 72% of cases involved intentional injury. Sex was again a key factor as over 80% of all records involving alcohol or substance abuse were associated with males. The findings highlighted the association between violence, young males, substance use, and weekends.
Abstract.
Full text.
Cinnamon J (2015). Review of: the data revolution: big data, open data, data infrastructures and their consequences.
ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING B-PLANNING & DESIGN,
42(3), 566-567.
Author URL.
2014
Zargaran E, Schuurman N, Nicol AJ, Matzopoulos R, Cinnamon J, Taulu T, Ricker B, Garbutt Brown DR, Navsaria P, Hameed SM, et al (2014). The electronic Trauma Health Record: design and usability of a novel tablet-based tool for trauma care and injury surveillance in low resource settings.
Journal of the American College of Surgeons,
218(1), 41-50.
Abstract:
The electronic Trauma Health Record: design and usability of a novel tablet-based tool for trauma care and injury surveillance in low resource settings.
Ninety percent of global trauma deaths occur in under-resourced or remote environments, with little or no capacity for injury surveillance. We hypothesized that emerging electronic and web-based technologies could enable design of a tablet-based application, the electronic Trauma Health Record (eTHR), used by front-line clinicians to inform trauma care and acquire injury surveillance data for injury control and health policy development.
Abstract.
Author URL.
(2014). Themes in geographies of health and health care research: Reflections from the 2012 Canadian Association of Geographers annual meeting.
Canadian Geographer,
58(2), 160-167.
Abstract:
Themes in geographies of health and health care research: Reflections from the 2012 Canadian Association of Geographers annual meeting
In May 2012, the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) annual meeting in Waterloo, Ontario, attracted strong attendance by scholars whose research explores the geographies of health and health care. The CAG's Geography of Health and Health Care Specialty Group organized 14 special paper sessions spanning three consecutive days and involving 53 presenters; 24 health-focused papers were also given in other sessions throughout the CAG meeting, for a total of 77 presenters. In this viewpoint, we draw upon the diverse geographies of health and health care scholarship presented at this meeting to provide a snapshot of some current research themes in Canadian health geography. Five interrelated themes were identified, namely: 1) aging, disability, and chronic disease; (2) environmental determinants and health; (3) accessing health and health-promoting services; (4) diversity and intersecting positions; and (5) research methods and frameworks. We believe that identifying themes from the 2012 CAG annual meeting provides insight regarding what issues, topics, methods, and frameworks are inspiring Canadian health geographers, while also serving as a baseline for comparison of future trends and directions for future research. © 2013 Canadian Association of Geographers.
Abstract.
Nicol A, Knowlton LM, Schuurman N, Matzopoulos R, Zargaran E, Cinnamon J, Fawcett V, Taulu T, Hameed SM (2014). Trauma Surveillance in Cape Town, South Africa: an Analysis of 9236 Consecutive Trauma Center Admissions.
JAMA SurgeryAbstract:
Trauma Surveillance in Cape Town, South Africa: an Analysis of 9236 Consecutive Trauma Center Admissions.
IMPORTANCE Trauma is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In many low- and middle-income countries, formal trauma surveillance strategies have not yet been widely implemented. OBJECTIVE to formalize injury data collection at Groote Schuur Hospital, the chief academic hospital of the University of Cape Town, a level I trauma center, and one of the largest trauma referral hospitals in the world. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This was a prospective study of all trauma admissions from October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2011, at Groote Schuur Hospital. A standard admission form was developed with multidisciplinary input and was used for both clinical and data abstraction purposes. Analysis of data was performed in 3 parts: demographics of injury, injury risk by location, and access to and maturity of trauma services. Geographic information science was then used to create satellite imaging of injury "hot spots" and to track referral patterns. Finally, the World Health Organization trauma system maturity index was used to evaluate the current breadth of the trauma system in place. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES the demographics of trauma patients, the distribution of injury in a large metropolitan catchment, and the patterns of injury referral and patient movement within the trauma system. RESULTS the minimum 34-point data set captured relevant demographic, geographic, incident, and clinical data for 9236 patients. Data field completion rates were highly variable. An analysis of demographics of injury (age, sex, and mechanism of injury) was performed. Most violence occurred toward males (71.3%) who were younger than 40 years of age (74.6%). We demonstrated high rates of violent interpersonal injury (71.6% of intentional injury) and motor vehicle injury (18.8% of all injuries). There was a strong association between injury and alcohol use, with alcohol implicated in at least 30.1% of trauma admissions. From a systems standpoint, the data suggest a mature pattern of referral consistent with the presence of an inclusive trauma system. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE the implementation of injury surveillance at Groote Schuur Hospital improved insights about injury risk based on demographics and neighborhood as well as access to service based on patterns of referral. This information will guide further development of South Africa's already advanced trauma system.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
2013
(2013). Confronting the data-divide in a time of spatial turns and volunteered geographic information.
GeoJournal,
78(4), 657-674.
Abstract:
Confronting the data-divide in a time of spatial turns and volunteered geographic information
Geography is enjoying a period of unparalleled visibility, driven by the growing use of geographic methods and concepts across the sciences and humanities-the so-called spatial turn-and the pervasive use of geospatial Web technologies and their concomitant influence on society, especially the phenomenon of volunteered geographic information (VGI). The field of public health is beginning to harness spatiality with gusto; however, the geospatial Web and its social phenomena are underexplored in this context even though they may be particularly useful for public health enquiry, especially in low-resource settings that lack traditional data collection mechanisms. A case study framed within these two current phenomena is presented to illustrate the influence of geography and its potential for addressing the data-divide-the disparity in availability of data for scientific enquiry and decision-making most felt in low-and middle income countries. A facilitated VGI data collection initiative collected public health-related injury data in Cape Town, South Africa, as a pragmatic alternative given the lack of data from traditional sources. Emergency medical services personnel interacted with a GeoWeb interface to volunteer their informed opinions of high-incident injury locations. Previously unrecorded injury location data were created, and combined with traditional injury data for use in an ongoing study examining the environmental determinants of injury in this setting, which speaks to the possibility for hybrid authoritative/asserted data collection strategies. This study speaks to the growing influence of geography and one of its driving forces, the techno-social revolution in geospatial technology and data. Future work should continue to examine their potential to address the data-divide. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Abstract.
2011
Schuurman N, Cinnamon J, Matzopoulos R, Fawcett V, Nicol A, Hameed SM (2011). Collecting injury surveillance data in low- and middle-income countries: the Cape Town Trauma Registry pilot.
Global Public Health,
6(8), 874-889.
Abstract:
Collecting injury surveillance data in low- and middle-income countries: the Cape Town Trauma Registry pilot.
Injury is a major public health issue, responsible for 5 million deaths each year, equivalent to the total mortality caused by HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. The World Health Organisation estimates that of the total worldwide deaths due to injury, more than 90% occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Despite the burden of injury sustained by LMIC, there are few continuing injury surveillance systems for collection and analysis of injury data. We describe a hospital-based trauma surveillance instrument for collection of a minimum data-set for calculating common injury scoring metrics including the Abbreviated Injury Scale and the Injury Severity Score. The Cape Town Trauma Registry (CTTR) is designed for injury surveillance in low-resource settings. A pilot at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town was conducted for one month to demonstrate the feasibility of systematic data collection and analysis, and to explore challenges of implementing a trauma registry in a LMIC. Key characteristics of the CTTR include: ability to calculate injury severity, key minimal data elements, expansion to include quality indicators and minimal drain on human resources based on few fields. The CTTR provides a strategy to describe the distribution and consequences of injury in a high trauma volume, low-resource environment.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Cinnamon J, Schuurman N, Hameed SM (2011). Pedestrian injury and human behaviour: observing road-rule violations at high-incident intersections.
PLoS One,
6(6).
Abstract:
Pedestrian injury and human behaviour: observing road-rule violations at high-incident intersections.
BACKGROUND: Human behaviour is an obvious, yet under-studied factor in pedestrian injury. Behavioural interventions that address rule violations by pedestrians and motorists could potentially reduce the frequency of pedestrian injury. In this study, a method was developed to examine road-rule non-compliance by pedestrians and motorists. The purpose of the study was to examine the potential association between violations made by pedestrians and motorists at signalized intersections, and collisions between pedestrians and motor-vehicles. The underlying hypothesis is that high-incident pedestrian intersections are likely to vary with respect to their aetiology, and thus are likely to require individualized interventions--based on the type and rate of pedestrian and motorist violation. METHODS: High-incident pedestrian injury intersections in Vancouver, Canada were identified using geographic information systems. Road-rule violations by pedestrians and motorists were documented at each incident hotspot by a team of observers at several different time periods during the day. RESULTS: Approximately 9,000 pedestrians and 18,000 vehicles were observed in total. In total for all observed intersections, over 2000 (21%) pedestrians committed one of the observed pedestrian road-crossing violations, while approximately 1000 (5.9%) drivers committed one of the observed motorist violations. Great variability in road-rule violations was observed between intersections, and also within intersections at different observation periods. CONCLUSIONS: Both motorists and pedestrians were frequently observed committing road-rule violations at signalized intersections, suggesting a potential human behavioural contribution to pedestrian injury at the study sites. These results suggest that each intersection may have unique mechanisms that contribute to pedestrian injury, and may require targeted behavioural interventions. The method described in this study provides the basis for understanding the relationship between violations and pedestrian injury risk at urban intersections. Findings could be applied to targeted prevention campaigns designed to reduce the number of pedestrian injuries at signalized intersections.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
(2011). Power of criminal attractors: Modeling the pull of activity nodes.
JASSS,
14(1).
Abstract:
Power of criminal attractors: Modeling the pull of activity nodes
The spatial distribution of crime has been a long-standing interest in the field of criminology. Research in this area has shown that activity nodes and travel paths are key components that help to define patterns of offending. Little research, however, has considered the influence of activity nodes on the spatial distribution of crimes in crime neutral areas - those where crimes are more haphazardly dispersed. Further, a review of the literature has revealed a lack of research in determining the relative strength of attraction that different types of activity nodes possess based on characteristics of criminal events in their immediate surrounds. In this paper we use offenders' home locations and the locations of their crimes to define directional and distance parameters. Using these parameters we apply mathematical structures to define rules by which different models may behave to investigate the influence of activity nodes on the spatial distribution of crimes in crime neutral areas. The findings suggest an increasing likelihood of crime as a function of geometric angle and distance from an offender's home location to the site of the criminal event. Implications of the results are discussed. © Copyright JASSS.
Abstract.
Full text.
(2011). Refining a location analysis model using a mixed methods approach: Community readiness as a key factor in siting rural palliative care services.
Journal of Mixed Methods Research,
5(1), 77-95.
Abstract:
Refining a location analysis model using a mixed methods approach: Community readiness as a key factor in siting rural palliative care services
Drawing on recent debates pointing to the value of mixed methods research in human geography, the authors revisit a quantitative location analysis model previously created to site palliative care services in rural British Columbia, Canada. The original quantitative model posited that population (i.e. number of residents in the community), isolation (i.e. travel time to existing specialized palliative care), and vulnerability (i.e. number of residents older than 65 years in the community) are three factors that must be accounted for when siting palliative care services in rural areas. Using qualitative interview data, the authors refine this model to include a newly identified factor: community readiness. They conclude with a discussion of the benefits of adopting a mixed methods approach to location analysis model development. © the Author(s) 2011.
Abstract.
2010
Cinnamon J, Schuurman N (2010). Injury surveillance in low-resource settings using Geospatial and Social Web technologies.
International Journal of Health Geographics,
9Abstract:
Injury surveillance in low-resource settings using Geospatial and Social Web technologies.
Extensive public health gains have benefited high-income countries in recent decades, however, citizens of low and middle-income countries (LMIC) have largely not enjoyed the same advancements. This is in part due to the fact that public health data - the foundation for public health advances - are rarely collected in many LMIC. Injury data are particularly scarce in many low-resource settings, despite the huge associated burden of morbidity and mortality. Advances in freely-accessible and easy-to-use information and communication (ICT) technology may provide the impetus for increased public health data collection in settings with limited financial and personnel resources.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
2009
Cinnamon J, Schuurman N, Crooks VA (2009). Assessing the suitability of host communities for secondary palliative care hubs: a location analysis model.
Health and Place,
15(3), 792-800.
Abstract:
Assessing the suitability of host communities for secondary palliative care hubs: a location analysis model.
An increased need for palliative care has been acknowledged world-wide. However, recent Canadian end-of-life care frameworks have largely failed to consider the unique challenges of delivery in rural and remote regions. In the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC), urban areas are well-served for specialized palliative care; however, rural and remote regions are not. This study presents a location analysis model designed to determine appropriate locations to allocate palliative care services. Secondary palliative care hubs (PCH) are introduced as an option for delivering these services in rural and remote regions. Results suggest that several BC communities may be appropriate locations for secondary PCHs. This model could be applied to the allocation of palliative care resources in other jurisdictions with similar rural and remote regions.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Cinnamon J, Rinner C, Cusimano MD, Marshall S, Bakele T, Hernandez T, Glazier RH, Chipman ML (2009). Evaluating web-based static, animated and interactive maps for injury prevention.
Geospatial Health,
4(1), 3-16.
Abstract:
Evaluating web-based static, animated and interactive maps for injury prevention.
Public health planning can benefit from visual exploration and analysis of geospatial data. Maps and geovisualization tools must be developed with the user-group in mind. User-needs assessment and usability testing are crucial elements in the iterative process of map design and implementation. This study presents the results of a usability test of static, animated and interactive maps of injury rates and socio-demographic determinants of injury by a sample of potential end-users in Toronto, Canada. The results of the user-testing suggest that different map types are useful for different purposes and for satisfying the varying skill level of the individual user. The static maps were deemed to be easy to use and versatile, while the animated maps could be made more useful if animation controls were provided. The split-screen concept of the interactive maps was highlighted as particularly effective for map comparison. Overall, interactive maps were identified as the preferred map type for comparing patterns of injury and related socio-demographic risk factors. Information collected from the user-tests is being used to expand and refine the injury web maps for Toronto, and could inform other public health-related geo-visualization projects.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
Cinnamon J, Rinner C, Cusimano MD, Marshall S, Bekele T, Hernández T, Glazier RH, Chipman ML (2009). Online Map Design for Public-Health Decision Makers. Cartographica, 44, 289-300.
Schuurman N, Cinnamon J, Crooks VA, Hameed SM (2009). Pedestrian injury and the built environment: an environmental scan of hotspots.
BMC Public Health,
9Abstract:
Pedestrian injury and the built environment: an environmental scan of hotspots.
BACKGROUND: Pedestrian injury frequently results in devastating and costly injuries and accounts for 11% of all road user fatalities. In the United States in 2006 there were 4,784 fatalities and 61,000 injuries from pedestrian injury, and in 2007 there were 4,654 fatalities and 70,000 injuries. In Canada, injury is the leading cause of death for those under 45 years of age and the fourth most common cause of death for all ages Traumatic pedestrian injury results in nearly 4000 hospitalizations in Canada annually. These injuries result from the interplay of modifiable environmental factors. The objective of this study was to determine links between the built environment and pedestrian injury hotspots in Vancouver. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) for the 6 year period from 2000 to 2005 and combined with pedestrian injury data extracted from the British Columbia Trauma Registry (BCTR) for the same period. High incident locations (hotspots) for pedestrian injury in the City of Vancouver were identified and mapped using geographic information systems (GIS), and the characteristics of the built environment at each of the hotspot locations were examined by a team of researchers. RESULTS: the analysis highlighted 32 pedestrian injury hotspot locations in Vancouver. 31 of 32 hotspots were situated on major roads. Likewise, the majority of hotspots were located on downtown streets. The 'downtown eastside' was identified as an area with multiple high-incident locations, including the 2 highest ranked pedestrian injury hotspots. Bars were present at 21 of the hotspot locations, with 11 of these locations being judged to have high alcohol establishment density. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the disproportionate burden of pedestrian injury centred on the downtown eastside area of Vancouver. The environmental scan revealed that important passive pedestrian safety countermeasures were only present at a minority of high-incident locations. More importantly, bars were highly associated with risk of pedestrian injury. This study is the basis for potential public health intervention by clearly indicating optimal locations for signalized pedestrian crosswalks.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
2008
Cinnamon J, Schuurman N, Crooks VA (2008). A method to determine spatial access to specialized palliative care services using GIS.
BMC Health Services Research,
8Abstract:
A method to determine spatial access to specialized palliative care services using GIS.
Providing palliative care is a growing priority for health service administrators worldwide as the populations of many nations continue to age rapidly. In many countries, palliative care services are presently inadequate and this problem will be exacerbated in the coming years. The provision of palliative care, moreover, has been piecemeal in many jurisdictions and there is little distinction made at present between levels of service provision. There is a pressing need to determine which populations do not enjoy access to specialized palliative care services in particular.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Full text.
