An oriented service architecture and model for GIS health management: Case of cancer in Morocco

Summary form only given. In Morocco, the prevalence of cancer cases has increased and has become ranked as the second leading cause of death. Therefore, forming a cancer control program and putting strategic action plans into practice became an important matter for the health industry. The correlation of variations in different societies and environmental factors should be examined spatially with reliable data. To do this, cancer occurrence density maps have to be created. In this study, a database was built with the use of GIS to examine the distribution of cancer cases, and maps relating to cancer events in allocation units were created. Cancer case data registered in 2010 by Ministry of Health, Lalla Salma Association to fight against cancer and the National Cancer Prevention and Control Plan were used in connection to ArcGIS 10. The distribution of various cancer cases was presented on cancer maps including allocation units and incidence values, which were calculated for each town-based region. According to the world standards, cancer rates were determined by the special analysis power of GIS. Distributing and sharing disease maps via the web could help decision makers across health jurisdictions and authorities collaborate in preventing, controlling and responding to a specific disease outbreak and its time factor analysis. By comparing the thematic maps at different time intervals, the spatial-temporal change of disease could be projected, including temporal parameter, vector transmission rates and mobility of susceptible populations. Health authorities in Morocco have begun a campaign to fight cancer by opening new treatment centres and expanding health-care coverage. On March the 23rd of 2010, Morocco launched the 8-billion dirham campaign, which aims to make treatment, detection and preventive care more accessible. Four regional health-care centres will be opened in Safi, Laayoune, Meknes and Tangier, in addition to two special cancer centres for women in Rabat and Casablanca and two paediatric cancer centres in Fez and Marrakech. Palliative care units will be added to several provincial hospitals, while existing oncology centres in Morocco will be expanded. Morocco currently has five state-run cancer centres and four private-sector facilities to treat the disease, which accounts for 7.2% of all deaths annually. The currents studies has demonstrated that the use of GIS with SOA architecture in conjunction with ontology implementation for each dise