The main goal of this pilot is to develop the Geographic Information System for alcohol studies into a scientific core component of the Center. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is the appropriate discipline that is required to perform base maps, and expertise in an appropriate discipline that is required to perform spatial analysis. The GIS for alcohol studies will utilize innovative technology to promote the use of spatial information and contextual characteristics in studies of alcohol use and misuse. The GIS will provide the capability of linking alcohol studies to the long tradition of spatial analysis on epidemiology. Geographic variables have been under-utilized in alcohol studies not because they are unimportant, but because they have been difficult to measure. The GIS for alcohol studies will provide the capability to incorporate social context and geographic concepts into research projects, and it will facilitate spatial analysis and a unique approach to alcohol studies that will lead to new ways of formulating and examining research questions. The two major aims of this pilot project are: 1) To integrate the research support capabilities of the GIS for alcohol studies with the research components of the Center. The GIS will provide enhanced mapping and display capabilities, calculate spatial variables (e.g., distance to treatment), and match census data with individual- level data. 2) To utilize the GIS for alcohol studies to examine patterns of alcohol- related mortality in different geocultural regions. This project will improve on previous examinations of regional drinking problems by using a more meaningful definition of a geocultural region. The county-level data on alcohol-related mortality collected by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System of NIAAA will be used in this project.
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