In the last years thematic maps have gained a great popularity within the healthcare system. Thanks to freely available and easy to use mapping and GIS programs, today contents in medical sociology, for instance, can be illustrated in maps even without professional qualification. However, the selection and implementation of contents in the maps often do not meet cartographic demands that would provide a safe and reasonable interpretation for the user. This is crucial, especially, when maps serve as a basis for discussion or decision-making in the health policy context. Against this background, it is worth formulating minimum requirements in the form of a “good scientific practice” for map making in the healthcare system.

An affiliation of the working group „Medical Geography“ in the German Geographical Society (DGfG), the working group „Health Geography“ in the German Epidemiological Society (DGEpi) and the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL) have started an initiative to secure a „Good Cartographical Practice in the Healthcare System“(GKPiG). Their overriding aim is to define recommendations of action for the making of maps in the health system, to write suggestions for their interpretation and to establish them in the relevant scientific branches. Professionals in the branches of epidemiology, health services research, public health service etc. are to be addressed. Those groups deal with the planning, preparation, implementation, evaluation, estimation as well as interpretation of cartographic contents in the healthcare system, but do not have background knowledge in geography respectively cartography.

The purpose of the project is to compile a standardised code of practice to support the target groups in their map making processes. The recommendations were initially published in July 2016, they are freely accessible as a pdf document (see below: "Results / publications"). Subsequently the evaluation and revise is planned every other year.

Results/Publications

Augustin, Jobst / Kistemann, Thomas / Koller, Daniela / Lentz, Sebastian / Maier, Werner / Moser, Jana / Schweikart, Jürgen (2016): Gute Kartographische Praxis im Gesundheitswesen (GKPiG). Berlin, Bonn, Hamburg, Leipzig, München. pdf

Augustin, Jobst / Moser, Jana (2013): Initiative zur Sicherung „Guter Kartographischer Praxis im Gesundheitswesen“ (GKPiG). In: Kartographische Nachrichten 63 (1), S. 31-33