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London Ambulance Service GIS ExperienceSource: Geographical Information Systems - Case Studies. Business Computer World, February 1998, p.50-54
'Once the users had seen the maps, they kept wanting more,' recalls Mike Damiami, an information analyst in the department. 'In our work a lot depends on geographical location so maps play an important role. They are also persuasive. We have found them very useful in helping to present a case.' The department has now installed the latest Windows version of Mapinfo Professional, which it uses for special studies and investigations and to produce maps to supplement ad hoc reports. Around 5,000 was invested in digital maps and postcode data. The department also uses census and health service data which it obtains free of charge through its links with the NHS. The system has proved particularly useful during times of peak winter demand when some hospitals request the ambulance service to divert admissions to other nearby hospitals. With the GIS, it is possible to see the exact effect of such diversions, both in terms of additional journey times for the ambulance crews and the spread of admissions among the hospitals. In another application, the MI department is attempting to determine the factors that lead to people requiring ambulance services - the so-called drivers of demand. 'Deprivation is likely to prove a major factor,' says Damiami. 'We get more calls per head of population in poor areas, partly because people there are more prone to illness and accidents and partly because people in Kensington are more likely to have their own cars than those in Camberwell. The system should help us quantify those factors.' In a typical day, the service handles some 2,000 calls, each of which is recorded in the MI department's database. There can be up to 250 ambulances on the streets of London at any one time, working from 68 ambulance stations. 'It is essential to know where these calls are coming from in order to make decisions,' says Damiami. 'If we didn't have this system, we would probably be drawing maps by hand, so the GIS has saved us a lot of effort. The costs are high, but the benefits are substantial, too.' |
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The
London Ambulance Service's Management Information (MI) department came to GIS
almost by accident. Five years ago, the department was using the SPSS
statistical package to analyse demand for ambulance services. SPSS came bundled
with a DOS version of Mapinfo so some of the staff tried using this to
supplement their reports. It was a big success.