New Toolkit Helps Communities Analyze Geospatial Data

The Methodology and Advanced Analytics Resource Center (MAARC) at the University of Chicago (U2CDA050098, Schneider, PI), one of JCOIN’s resource centers, has developed a toolkit that researchers and practitioners can use to explore the spread of opioid or other drug use within social and spatial networks.

The Opioid Environment Toolkit provides an introduction to geographic information system (GIS) and spatial analysis for opioid environment applications that will allow researchers, analysts, and practitioners to support their communities with better data analytics and visualization services.

The Opioid Environment Toolkit is a resource accompanying the Opioid Environment Policy Scan (OEPS) that includes tutorials introducing basic spatial analytic functionalities in applied examples, using the R programming language. Researchers and analysts can get started right away with exploring OEPS data using the sample scripts in the Toolkit, which demonstrates visualizing, mapping, and understanding the opioid risk environment.

Access the Toolkit or learn more at jcoinctc.org/resources/opioid-environment-toolkit

Learn more about the OEPS: https://www.jcoinctc.org/opioid-environment-policy-scan-oeps-data-warehouse/