DHIS2 supports the incorporation of climate, weather, environmental, and earth observation data into programs in the health sector and beyond, as well as integration with specialized systems, to facilitate spatial and temporal analysis of environmental factors in a variety of programs and use cases
This use case builds on existing disease surveillance systems by integrating climate and weather data to improve early warning and response for climate-sensitive infectious diseases (vector & waterborne), such as malaria, dengue, diarrhea, zika, etc. Historical and current climate and health data are used to develop predictive models based on relationships between environmental factors and the corresponding likelihood of disease outbreaks in specific geographies, including the spread of diseases to new areas (eg. highlands). Outputs from these systems can be used to:
This use case builds on existing nutrition and agriculture systems to support early warning and response to weather events, changing climate patterns, and seasonal variation that affect crop production and prevalence of malnutrition. Data from these systems can help improve nutrition programmes & food security by helping plan mitigation actions, outreach activities, and resource prioritization.
This use case incorporates early warning and response systems for heat waves and/or floods (or other extreme weather events) into routine and emergency health programs. It builds on existing DHIS2 systems for routine service delivery and can expand DHIS2 systems for new data sources (NCD data, emergency response, etc.). Outputs from these systems can be used to:
The DHIS2 platform provides a number of applications, features, and tools that can facilitate the integration and use of climate data in information systems:
A national DHIS2 system can host data from a variety of sources, allowing program managers to carry out and visualize composite analysis between health, climate, and other data sources in one place using customizable dashboards.
Data can be entered into DHIS2 via the web interface or on mobile devices, with robust offline support. Data entry forms are flexible and can be locally configured for a variety of data, reporting formats and tempos. Data can also be uploaded in bulk or integrated from other systems. This flexibility provides a large number of options for incorporating climate data into DHIS2.
The built-in Maps application in DHIS2 permits the import and use of geospatial datasets, including satellite data and climate services that can be combined with programmatic data for geospatial and temporal analysis. Data from DHIS2 can also be exported to GIS programs for more advanced analysis.
DHIS2’s open and documented API and suite of integration tools facilitates interoperability with external software systems and data sources. Within C&H implementations, this can allow DHIS2 systems to connect to purpose-built climate data systems and external software for complex predictive modeling.
DHIS2 is designed to allow for extending functionality through the use of custom applications, scripts, and widgets, which can help tailor the system to meet local needs for a C&H use case, as well as serving as a method for developing low-cost local innovations on top of the DHIS2 platform that can be shared with other users.
