BALTIMORE, MD (March 7, 2016) – The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) today released a new interactive web map gallery on a number health and related topics. The maps, available at www.baltimorecity.gov/healthmaps, were developed by BCHD epidemiologists to identify current environmental, behavioral, and socioeconomic trends in Baltimore.

“As public health leaders, we have a responsibility to provide the residents of Baltimore with timely, relevant, and easily understandable information,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. “We hope these maps and analyses help to inform residents, researchers and policymakers about health challenges and potential solutions—moving everyone to action.”

Four maps are currently available:

• Baltimore City's Health Begins Where We Live, Learn, Work, and Play; a map visualizing the social determinants of health in Baltimore City.
• Health Insurance in Baltimore City; a map detailing the most recent estimates of health insurance coverage at the census tract level.
• Animation of Shooting Incidents by Year; a map documenting shooting incidents—fatal and non-fatal—over the last five years to illustrate how violence shares the same characteristics as an epidemic disease.
• 2015 Homicide Epidemic; a map identifying spatial statistics highlighting key patterns and trends in firearm homicides in Baltimore from 2008 to 2015.

 Epidemiological maps help to inform communities about common questions regarding population health, for example:

• Descriptive maps, which can show the burden of disease and identify protective factors.
• Analytical maps, which can identify clusters, outliers, and patterns for study and analysis.
• Story maps, which combine traditional maps with multimedia graphics, photos, or videos to tell a specific narrative, or
• Service or asset maps, which offer insight into local neighborhoods or areas of interest in nearby locations.

More maps will be added the interactive gallery on a rolling basis. To learn more about BCHD's public health priorities, review our white paper on the State of Health in Baltimore.

For questions or comments about Baltimore City Health Department’s Interactive Map Gallery, please email: healthmaps@baltimorecity.gov