ii Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

This Guide was made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID). The contents of this Guide are the sole responsibility of RTI International and do not
necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide iii
iv Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide v

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... vii

Acronyms and Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... ix

About This Guide ............................................................................................................................. xi

Service Delivery Network (SDN) Digital Mapping ............................................................................. 1

A. System Requirements ................................................................................................................. 1

B. Getting Familiar with Mapping Concepts ..................................................................................... 2

C. Cropping Shapefiles (Barangays, Municipalities, Province) ......................................................... 3

D. Exporting Shapefiles to Google Earth KML Format ..................................................................... 6

E. Plotting and Updating Placemarkers ............................................................................................ 7

F. Creating Thematic (Choropleth) Maps ....................................................................................... 10

G. Organizing Map Layers in Google Earth.................................................................................... 15

H. Creating Paths, Polygons and Tours ......................................................................................... 17

I. Approximating Path and Directions between Two Locations ....................................................... 19

J. Using Digital Map for Analysis of Health Situation ...................................................................... 22

K. Updating and Exporting Digital Maps ......................................................................................... 27

vi Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide vii

Acknowledgments

Sincerest gratitude is extended to the following organizations and individuals for providing valuable
inputs in the development of this SDN Digital Mapping Guide:

Department of Health Regional Office – Bicol

Ms. Maita Mortega, Regional SDN Coordinator

Albay Provincial Health Office

Dr. Antonio Ludovice IV, OIC Provincial Health Officer

Ms. Annie Rose Clarino, Provincial SDN Coordinator
Mr. Mark Belgica, Administrative Assistant

Caloocan City Health Office

Dr. Rachel Basa, City SDN Coordinator

viii Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide ix

Acronyms and Abbreviations

BRTTH Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital

CPR Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

DBF Database FoxPro

DOH Department of Health

FHSIS Field Health Service Information System

FP Family Planning

GB Gigabyte

GIS Geographic Information System

ILHZ Inter-local Health Zone

IT Information Technology

KML Keyhole Markup Language

KMZ Keyhole Markup Language Zipped

MMQGIS Michael Minn QGIS

PCSF Primary Care Service Facilities

PDF Portable Document Format

QGIS Quantum Geographic Information System

RHU Rural Health Unit

SBA Skilled Birth Attendance

SDN Service Delivery Network

SHP Shapefile

XML eXtensible Markup Language

x Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide xi

About This Guide

In support of establishing and strengthening functional service delivery networks (SDNs),
LuzonHealth partner sites were trained in the development of digital maps featuring their health
resources (i.e., health facilities), indicators, inter-local health zones, and SDNs. The Training in Digital
Mapping uses software applications such as Google Map and Quantum Geographic Information
System. It is intended for local SDN point persons, health program coordinators, Field Health Service
Information System coordinators, and designated information technology (IT) staff.

The two-day training includes topics such as: introduction to mapping terminologies; creating map
files for barangays, municipalities and provinces; overlaying information such as health indicators;
and plotting health facilities and road networks. At the end of the training session, participants are
expected to produce interactive digital maps that can be used for analyzing health situations and
strategizing for allocation of necessary health resources.

This Digital Mapping Guide was developed to serve as a ready reference for local government units
and Department of Health (DOH) Regional Offices in creating digital maps and analyzing the health
situation using these digital maps. It includes step-by-step instructions on how to plot health facilities
and display indicators over thematic maps and plot a referral route across health facilities. It is
primarily intended for IT staff and non-IT staff with basic knowledge in using Word and spreadsheet
processing who were designated by their respective offices to update and manage the digital maps.
The primary end user is expected to work with program coordinators in designing the digital maps as
well as in securing the most up-to-date statistics. The guide contains sample digital maps depicting
various health scenarios and shows health program coordinators and managers how to interpret and
utilize the given information.

This guide has been used in training selected staff from the DOH-Cordillera Administrative Regional
Office, DOH-Bicol Region, the cities of Malabon and Caloocan, and the provinces of Benguet,
Pangasinan and Albay. To date, the Albay Provincial Health Office and DOH-Bicol Region have
produced updated versions of their digital maps using local data.
xii Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 1

Service Delivery Network (SDN) Digital Mapping

Digital mapping for service delivery networks involves 10 major processes:

A. Getting familiar with mapping concepts

B. System requirements (software, hardware and Internet connectivity)
C. Cropping shape files (barangays, municipalities, province)
D. Exporting shape files to Google Earth Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format
E. Plotting and updating place markers
F. Creating thematic (Choropleth) maps
G. Organizing map layers in Google Earth
H. Creating paths, polygons and tours
I. Approximating distance and path between two locations
J. Using digital map for analysis of health situation

Each of these processes will be explained step-by-step in this guide.

A. System Requirements
Hardware Requirements:

1. Desktop or laptop computer with at least 4GB of Random Access Memory, 20GB of available
disk space and at least Intel Core i5 processor or better.
2. Mouse for quicker navigation in the map
3. Universal Serial Bus or external drive with at least 5GB of available disk space for backup file
storage

Software Requirements:

The following software components can be downloaded from the Internet for free. Download and
install the following software packages before creating actual digital maps.

1. Google Earth Desktop Edition (http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/agree.html) can be

used for the following functions:

a. Viewing of maps and layers

b. Adding, updating and deleting placemarkers
c. Creating layers of KML files
d. Saving a group of KML as one project
e. Adjusting the properties of polygons, placemarkers and labels
f. Creating paths from one point to another
g. Creating tours

2. Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) Stand Alone Installer 32-bit

(http://qgis.org/downloads/QGIS-OSGeo4W-2.8.2-1-Setup-x86.exe) can be used for the
following functions:

a. Cropping and merging map polygons (barangays, municipalities, province)

b. Attaching additional data sets in the map
2 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

c. Creating thematic maps using data sets in the map

d. Saving multiple shapefiles into one QGIS project
e. Exporting shapefiles into Google Earth KML files

3. Notepad++ (https://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v6.7.9.html) can be used for manually

editing the KML raw file.

4. OpenOffice Calc (https://www.openoffice.org/download/) can be used for manually editing

Database FoxPro (DBF) files to include data sets in the map.

5. 7ZIP (http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1505.exe) is for unzipping shapefiles compressed in .7z format.

Internet Connectivity:

Internet connectivity is only needed prior to the installation of the software requirements. An Internet
broadband connection of at least 5Mbps is required to download the software requirements.

B. Getting Familiar with Mapping Concepts

1. Google Earth – A virtual globe, map and geographical information program that displays map
layers in three-dimensional (3D) format. Google Earth can be used to open files that are in KML
or Keyhole Markup Language Zipped (KMZ) format.

2. Layers – Sub-units within the map and contain information such as demographic divisions,
placemarker points and indicators. Layers are created using QGIS and comprise a KMZ file in
Google Earth.

3. Polygon – A specific geographic boundary in the map. A polygon may be a barangay,

municipality, city, province or region.

4. Placemark – A point plotted in Google Earth based on coordinates provided. Attributes of

placemarks such as type of symbol, label and color can be modified. Health facilities are plotted
as placemarks.

5. Path – The line plotted between two placemarks. Paths represent road networks, distance and
travel time.

6. QGIS – A cross-platform free and open source desktop geographic information system (GIS)
application that provides data viewing, editing and analysis capability. QGIS allows the creation
of customized layers and thematic maps and exports them into KML format.

7. KML file – The native file being used in Google Earth. Each layer corresponds to one KML file.

8. KMZ file – A file extension for a placemark file used in Google Earth. KMZ is a compilation of
multiple KML files compressed into one.

9. QGS files – Multiple shapefile (SHP) layers packaged as a QGIS project.

10. SHP files – The file format of map layers. SHP files can be edited using the QGIS software.
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 3

11. eXtensible Markup Language (XML) spreadsheet files – Spreadsheet containing the data sets
behind the map layer. The filename of the SHP file is similar to the XML spreadsheet.

12. Stratification categories:

a. Single Symbol – Used to create a single-color map. Normally used for defining demographic
profile.
b. Categorized – Used to create a thematic map where each value in the data set is represented
by one color.
c. Graduated – Used to create a thematic map where color code is based on the range defined
by the end user.
d. Rule-based – Used to create a thematic map where color code is based on rules defined by
the end user. Rules are based on operators and logical statements.

13. Michael Minn QGIS (MMQGIS) – A Michael Minn-developed QGIS plugin where SHP layers can
be converted into KML file for Google Earth.

14. Attribute table – Contains the data sets behind the map. Attribute tables can be accessed via
QGIS.

C. Cropping Shapefiles (Barangays, Municipalities, Province)

1. Secure the national shapefiles by going to the website http://philgis.org/freegisdata.htm.
Download the following files:

a. Country Town and Cities (http://philgis.org/CountryData_7z/MuniCities.7z) – Philippine

shapefiles divided per municipality and city
b. Country Barangay (http://philgis.org/CountryData_7z/Barangays.7z) – Philippine shapefiles
divided per barangay

Unzip the files in separate directories.

2. Open QGIS desktop software. On the left side panel, click the (Add Vector Layer) icon.
Locate and open the file “Municipalities.shp” in the folder containing the Country and Cities layers.
You should be seeing the map in Figure 1:

Figure 1: Municipalities in the Philippines as Shown in QGIS

4 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

3. Open the attribute table by clicking the icon on the upper right-side panel. A table similar to
the one in Figure 2 should be displayed:

Figure 2: Attribute Table in QGIS

4. To isolate specific areas in the map, you may manually click the rows or use the “Show All
Features” dropdown list on the lower left side of the attribute table. When using the manual, press
the CTRL key when selecting multiple records.

5. When using the “Show All Features” dropdown list, select the criteria that you want to filter by
clicking the option “Column Filter”. The column name values are as follows: NAME_0 for country,
NAME_1 for province, and NAME_2 for city or municipality. Select the appropriate column.

In the box provided, type the keyword enclosed with %. Uncheck the “Case Sensitive” check box
and click “Apply” button. See the example in Figure 3:

Figure 3: Filtering Contents of Attribute Table

6. If results are found, this will isolate the records based on the filters. Select all results by clicking
the upper right-side corner of the attribute table (Figure 4).
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 5

Figure 4: Selecting Entries in the QGIS Attribute Table

7. Return to the main QGIS panel. Under the Layers section, right-click the MuniCities layer and
select “Save As”. Supply the name of the shapefile and check the option “Save only selected
features” (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Saving a QGIS Layer

8. To view the shapefile of the selected layer, click the “Add Vector Layer” button on the left
side panel. Select the name of the appropriate shapefile. You should be seeing an entry under
the Layer section containing the name of the selected shapefile (Figure 6).
6 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

Figure 6: QGIS Layers

D. Exporting Shapefiles to Google Earth KML Format

1. Open QGIS desktop. In the main menu, click the menu “Plugins” and the submenu, “Manage and
Install Plugins” (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Installing Plugins in QGIS

2. Input the keyword “mmqgis” in the search box. Select MMQGIS in the results. Click “Install Plugin”
button (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Installing MMQGIS Plugin

 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 7

3. Once installed, the MMQGIS link will appear in the main menu. To export an existing shapefile to
a KML file, click the MMQGIS link → Import / Export → Google Maps KML Export (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Accessing MMQGIS from the Menu

4. In the Export configuration file, select the layer to be exported. The Name Field pertains to the
label of each polygon when clicked. The Description Fields will appear below the name field. This
can be updated later when accessing the KML file in Google Earth.

Set the filename of the KML file under the Output KML File box and press the OK button (Figure
10).

Figure 10: Saving a Google Map KML File

E. Plotting and Updating Placemarkers

1. Obtain the necessary latitude and longitude for the list of points to be plotted. Here are some
possible sources of coordinates for various health facilities online:

a. PhilHealth GIS - https://gis.philhealth.gov.ph/

b. http://www.mapcoordinates.net/
c. http://www.gps-coordinates.net/
8 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

2. Using Google Earth, open the KML file converted from QGIS. To open the file, click File → Open
in the main menu. Select the appropriate KML file. Once opened, the layer will be appearing on
the left side panel as well as in the map (Figure 11).

Figure 11: Adding a KML File in Google Earth

3. Using the coordinates obtained from the data sources, search its location in the map by typing
the latitude and longitude in the Search box located on the upper right side of Google Earth. The
location will be plotted with a yellow pin by default (Figure 12).

Figure 12: Plotting a Placemarker

4. To save the location in your map folder, right-click the coordinates under the Search box and click
“Save to My Places”. The placemarker will appear under “Save to My Places” folder (Figure 13).
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 9

Figure 13: Saving a Location Under Layers

5. To modify the placemarker, right-click on the pin and select Properties. Supply the name of the
placemarker. You may also add other details via the text box “Description”. Other properties of
the placemarker, such as pin icon, font style and image, may be added here Click OK button to
save the details (Figure 14).

Figure 14: Updating a Placemarker

10 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

F. Creating Thematic (Choropleth) Maps

A thematic map is a type of map specially designed to show a particular theme connected with a
specific geographic area. Choropleth maps are a special type of thematic map that show statistical
data aggregated over predefined regions, such as counties or states, by coloring or shading these
regions. Creating thematic maps can be done using the QGIS software.

1. Open the QGIS desktop and the shapefile where the thematic map will be based.

2. Open the Layer Properties and select Style.

3. In the Style window, select the style for the map data sets. The description of the style may be as
follows:

a. Single Symbol (Figure 15) – Uniform color for all polygons within the shapefile.

Figure 15: Single-Symbol Stratification

b. Categorized (Figure 16) – One color for every value in the selected column. This can be used
for any data type (string, integer).

Figure 16: Categorized Stratification

c. Graduated (Figure 17) – One color for every range defined. Range can be defined manually
or auto-computed by QGIS. This can only be used for numerical data types.
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 11

Figure 17: Graduated Stratification

d. Rule-based (Figure 18) – The range is based on the conditional statements set by the end
user. This can only be used for numerical data types. This can be used to create color legends
for multiple columns based on a certain condition (i.e., number of households under the
National Household Targeting System and general population).

Figure 18: Rule-based Stratification

4. To set the values for the attribute tables, click the icon in the main navigation bar to open
the attribute tables. The attribute table contains the data sets behind the shapefile as represented
by rows. A sample attribute table can be seen in Figure 19:

Figure 19: Updating an attribute table

12 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

5. The typical columns of the attribute table and their description are as follows:

a. ID_0 – Unique number assigned to the country

b. ISO – Country code
c. NAME_0 – Actual name of the country
d. ID_1 – Unique number assigned to the province
e. NAME_1 – Actual name of the province
f. ID_2 – Unique number assigned to the municipality or city
g. NAME_2 – Actual name of the municipality or city
h. TYPE_2 – Type of the locality in the map (city, municipality)
i. ENGTYPE_2 – Type of locality in English
j. PROVINCE – Actual name of the province
k. REGION – Actual name of the region

6. Additional columns can also be added in the attribute table by clicking the edit table icon and
clicking the Add New Column icon . A pop-up box will appear asking for values for the following
data sets (Figure 20):

Figure 20: Updating Columns in Attribute Table

a. Name – refers to the name of the column to be added or modified

b. Comment – annotation in relation to the column to be added
c. Type – refers to the data type of the column. Options are whole number (integer), decimal
number (real), text (string), and date.
d. Width – refers to the maximum length of the characters or digits the column can
accommodate. The maximum widths are 10 for whole number, 20 for decimal, 255 for strings,
and no width for date.

7. Once the column is added, there are two ways to enter values in the respective columns. The first
option is by using the attribute table in QGIS. The end user may add entries by clicking the cell of
the target row, manually entering the values, and pressing Enter key. One may use this method
when entering values for few rows (<100 records).

The second way is by using OpenOffice Calc and accessing the file in OpenOffice.org XML 1.0
Spreadsheet format. Locate the directory where the shapefile (.shp) is located and click the XML
file (Figure 21). Note that when opening the XML spreadsheet file, QGIS must be closed.
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 13

Figure 21: XML File for the Attribute Table

8. As OpenOffice Calc loads the file, it shall prompt the end user to select Character Set of the file.
Select Western Europe (DOS/OS2-850/International). The XML spreadsheet will be displayed in
columns and rows. Locate the new column and manually type or copy values into it. Save the
spreadsheet once it is done.

9. Open the QGIS application and the shapefile of the corresponding map. Under the Layers section,
double-click the selected layer to display the Layer Properties (Figure 22). Select the type of style
of the theme and the name of column to be coded. Click the Classify button.

Figure 22: Setting Color Codes in Categorized Stratification

10. QGIS will randomly assign a symbol color and label (Legend). The end user can choose the color
(Symbol), assign values to the theme (Value) and label (Legend) by clicking the corresponding
row (Figure 23).

If the type is Categorized, a single value is equivalent to one color. Indicators that require a yes
or no response should be of this type.
14 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

Figure 23: Setting the color codes under the Categorized Stratification

11. If the type is Graduated, a range of values is equivalent to one color. Graduated type can be used
to show the intensity or degree of figures, cases and incidences (Figure 24). Examples of
indicators for this type are population, number of maternal deaths, and morbidity cases.

Figure 24: Setting Graduated Stratification

12. If the type is rule-based, the end user may define criteria for the theme using operator (i.e.,
addition, subtraction) and conditional statements. Using the rule-based type, several indicators
can be combined to indicate the color legend (Figure 25). For example, creating a thematic map
for municipalities with trained/untrained staff versus number of maternal deaths, or plotting the
rate of incidence can be mapped using the rule-based type.

Figure 25: Setting Rule-Based Stratification

13. Once the labels, color legend and values have been set, press the Apply button. A thematic map
will be created based on the criteria set (Figure 26).
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 15

Figure 26: Producing Thematic Map Using QGIS

G. Organizing Map Layers in Google Earth

Once maps layers are created in QGIS and converted into KML file, the KML files can be organized
into multiple layers using Google Earth. Multiple KML files organized into layers in Google Earth can
be saved into a single KMZ file.

1. In Google Earth, click the menu File → Open. Select the KML file to be opened (Figure 26). Once
done, the KML file will open as a layer under Temporary Places.

Figure 26: Opening a KML File in Google Earth

2. Continue Step 1 until all necessary KML files are open (Figure 27). By default, all layers will be
appearing under the Layer section.
16 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

Figure 27: Organizing KML files as layers in Google Earth

3. You may create additional folders by right-clicking a selected layer and selecting Add →Folder. If
the layer is checked, it will be visible in the map.

4. If a layer or part of it is double-clicked, the map will zoom in its corresponding polygon in the map.
The end user may adjust its view angle by pressing CTRL and any arrow key or adjust its size by
pressing CTRL and plus (+) or minus (-) keys.

Once the preferred viewing angle has been attained, the end user may save the view by right-
clicking on the layer and selecting Snapshot View.

5. Once the layers are organized, the end user can save the map as a single KMZ file (Figure 28).
To do this, place all layers into a main folder and label it appropriately. Right-click on the main
folder and select Save Place As.

Figure 28: Saving Layers as a Single KMZ File in Google Earth

 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 17

H. Creating Paths, Polygons and Tours

In Google Earth, paths can be drawn from one placemark to another. By drawing a path, Google
Earth also calculates the travel time and the distance between the two placemarks. Common uses of
path include tracing the road network and specifying a referral network across facilities.

To create a path:
1. Click the icon, located in the main menu bar just above the map.

2. Click on the initial point in the map. The initial point can be a placemark (i.e., health facility) or a
polygon.

3. Trace the path from the initial point going to the destination point by continuously clicking the path
(Figure 29).

Figure 29: Creating Paths in Google Earth

4. Once the destination point has been clicked, the Edit Path box will appear. The end user may set
the path properties such as description, style, color and name (Figure 30).

Figure 30: Modifying the Attributes of the Path

5. To undo the last point created in the path, the end user can press the CTRL click and right-click.

End users can also encapsulate certain segments in the map by creating polygons. Common uses
of polygons include defining a location or area in the map or creating annotations and labels.
18 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

To create a polygon:

1. Locate and press the icon in the main menu bar, just at the top of the map.

2. The Edit Polygon box shall appear and will allow the end user to modify the details of the
polygon such as description, label, style, color and opacity.

3. Click an initial point in the map. From there, draw a shape enclosing the area of concern by
continuously plotting points (left clicks).

4. To finally close the polygon, click again at the initial point.

5. Modify the details of the polygon as needed (Figure 31).

Figure 31: Modifying Polygons in Google Earth

On the other hand, tours can be created in Google Earth to highlight movements from one layer to
another and create storylines. Common uses of tours include creating a video presentation of the
map story and recording flow of transportation during referrals.

Prior to the actual creation of a tour, it is suggested to prepare a navigation script on which the tour
will be based. A navigation script contains segments of the map to be highlighted, duration of focus
and, if necessary, a verbal script for presentation purposes.

To create a tour:

1. Locate and press the icon in the main menu bar, just at the top of the map.

2. Once the icon has been clicked, an onscreen recorder will appear at the lower right part of

the map,

3. Press the red dot button to start recording the video. As the recording progresses, navigate
through the layers, paths and polygons based on the navigation script. Once done, press the
button to stop the recording.
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 19

4. A secondary video navigation bar shall appear at the lower left side of the map. Using this
navigation bar, the end user can preview the video (play, reverse and fast forward), configure
to continuously play, and save the tour as another layer (Figure 32).

Figure 32: Recording tours in Google Earth

5. To save the final version of the tour, click the button with the icon . A New Tour window
will appear where the end user can provide a name and description for the tour (Figure 33).
Once saved, the tour will appear as another layer under the Layer section.

Figure 33: Saving Tours in Google Earth

I. Approximating Path and Directions between Two Locations

In Google Earth, an end user can create a line representing the road network between two locations
(e.g., health center to hospital). It uses an algorithm that approximates the path to be taken if one
point (source) is connected to another point (destination). To approximate the path and direction
between two locations:

1. Locate the point of origin (i.e., facility that will be sending a referral) and right-click on the
placemarker. Select the option Directions from Here (Figure 34).
20 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

Figure 34: Selecting the Point of Origin

2. Locate the point of destination (i.e., facility that will be receiving a referral) and right-click on the
placemarker. Select the option Direction to here (Figure 35).

Figure 35: Setting the Point of Destination

3. Google Earth will approximate the road network passing between the point of origin and the point
of destination (Figure 36). In addition, it will display additional information such as distance and
time of travel, on the roads leading to the point of destination (Figure 37).
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 21

Figure 36: Road Network Approximation in Google Earth

Figure 37: Directions from Point of Origin to Point of Destination

4. Save the road network by clicking the icon below the road directions. By default, the road
network will be saved under My Places (Figure 38).
22 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

Figure 38: Saving the Road Network Information

5. Create a subfolder under the main layer you are working at and label it as Routes (Figure 39).
Drag and drop the newly saved road network inside it and rename the layer to the following format
<point of origin>_to_<destination> (e.g., Camalig RHU to the Bicol Regional Training and
Teaching Hospital or BRTTH).

Figure 39: Organizing Road Network into Folders

J. Using Digital Map for Analysis of Health Situation

This section aims to demonstrate, particularly to health program managers/decision-makers, how
digital maps can be effectively used to assess various health program situations using simple case
scenarios. Converting statistical information into a digital map will help health program implementers
and decision-makers better appreciate and understand the actual health situation at a glance. Digital
maps are visualizations of existing statistical reports.

Some examples of analysis that can be made are as follows:

1. Relating one indicator to another

Digital maps can be used to create layers of various health indicators and show their correlation
using a graphic presentation. For example, data on contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) can be
related to maternal mortality, and data on antenatal care, to facility-based delivery and skilled
birth attendance, based on the data displayed in the map.

To illustrate, the 2015 CPR data for the inter-local health zone (ILHZ) of 1STAIDforHEALTH
(Tabaco City, Malilipot, Sto. Domingo, Bacacay, Malinao, Tiwi) in the Province of Albay are shown
in Figure 40. Red is for CPRs that are less than 40 percent, yellow is for CPRs between 40 percent
and 79 percent, and green is for CPRs 80 percent and above.
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 23

Figure 40: 2015 CPR data of 1STAIDforHealth ILHZ, Albay

In Figure 41, the 2015 maternal mortality data in the same ILHZ were plotted. Red indicates that
there is a presence of at least one maternal death. Yellow indicates that there is no maternal
death in the municipality.

Figure 41: 2015 maternal mortality data of 1STAIDforHealth ILHZ, Albay

Analysis: Based on established relationship between CPR and maternal mortality, high CPR
could result in lower maternal mortality. Only Bacacay and Malilipot demonstrated this
relationship. On the other hand, there are municipalities which are moderately ranked on their
24 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide

CPR but still had maternal mortality (Tiwi and Malinao). One probable reason is that the maternal
mortality might have been reported in the place of death (i.e., hospital in Tiwi and Malinao) rather
than the mother’s place of residence. There are municipalities which are low in CPR but did not
have maternal mortality (Tabaco City and Sto. Domingo). This can possibly be attributed to
unavailability of FP commodities and referral of problematic patients to the nearby municipalities.

2. Determining the capacity and presence of health service providers

In the digital map, the placemarkers representing health facilities can be overlaid in another layer
in order to determine the coverage of the health facilities vis-à-vis situation based on the indicator.
In the example below (Figure 42), the 2015 population of the municipalities under the ILHZ of
1stAIDforHealth is displayed. Light blue indicates that the population is less than 50,000. Medium
blue indicates that the population is between 50,001 and 99,999. Dark blue indicates that the
population is over 100,000.

Figure 42: 2015 Population of 1STAIDforHealth ILHZ, Albay

By overlaying the information on the presence of the hospitals within the ILHZ (Figure 43), we will
have an idea if these facilities are strategically located to reach out to municipalities based on
their population. The figure below shows the distribution of hospitals over the population data:
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 25

Figure 43: Overlaying Hospital Over 1STAIDforHealth ILHZ, Albay

Analysis: There are three trained and capable hospitals belonging to the MNCHN/FP service
delivery network (SDN) of Albay located in Tabaco City. These are Ziga District Hospital, Cope
Hospital and Cabredo Hospital. These hospitals are actively receiving referrals from other
member municipalities of the SDN such as Bacacay, Tiwi, Malinao, Malilipot and Sto. Domingo.
Both Malilipot and Sto. Domingo do not have hospitals in their respective municipalities.

3. Reviewing the referral routes based on distance and travel time

Since road networks from one location to another can be approximated from Google Earth,
plotting this information on the digital map can aid clients in determining the closest health facility
with the most ideal road condition from their location to another health facility. In the example
shown below (Figure 44), the Sto. Domingo Rural Health Unit has two nearby hospitals where it
could refer patients. The path from Sto. Domingo RHU to Cagraray District Hospital, represented
by the blue line, is approximately 25 kilometers. The path from Sto. Domingo RHU to BRTTH,
represented by the red line, is approximately 16 kilometers.
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Figure 44: Road Network Between Sto. Domingo RHU, Cagraray District Hospital
and BRTTH

Analysis: Although BRTTH is outside of the 1ST AID for Health ILHZ and Cagraray District
Hospital is within the ILHZ, it is more ideal to refer a patient from Sto. Domingo RHU to BRTTH
due to its close proximity and more ideal road network (i.e., straight path versus crooked route to
Cagraray District Hospital).

4. Other additional applications of digital mapping

a. Determining possible causes of outbreak

Example: Incidences of malaria cases happening in-between the boundaries of Caloocan City
and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan were found in the past. If this is projected on a map, prompt
coordination can be made by the Caloocan City Health Department with the nearest barangay
health station in San Jose del Monte.

b. Determining if there is clustering of diseases

Example: Mapping incidences of disease can help health authorities to determine if there is
a clustering of cases. Two cases might indicate a clustering in smaller barangays but not in
larger barangays like Bagong Silang, Caloocan which covers a large land area (around 100-
200 meter radius).
 Service Delivery Network Digital Mapping Guide 27

K. Updating and Exporting Digital Maps

The staff designated to update the map will maintain a mother copy of the QGS file of the digital map
for future updating. The frequency of updating the digital maps is dependent on the release and
availability of the official reports. Statistics from the monthly Field Health Service Information System
reports can be used to update the map once these become available. The list of health facilities and
their corresponding service capabilities as depicted in the map may also be updated in the event that
the Service Providers’ Agreement is modified.

The digital maps can be exported into various formats such as Portable Document Format (PDF) and
image files (Portable Network Graphics and Scalable Vector Graphics formats). To export the digital
maps in the formats mentioned above:

1. Locate the icon Composer Manager at the main menu. The Composer Manager menu will
open up. Click the Add button and supply a name to create a new compose manager (Figure
45).

Figure 45: Add Composer Manager

2. Once the new Composer Manager is shown, click the icon to add the map in the sheet.

3. Drag and drop a box in the compose manager sheet to display the map (Figure 46).
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Figure 46: Adding a Map in the Composer Manager

4. At the right-side panel, locate the Composition. Adjust the properties (i.e. width, height, export
resolution, orientation) of the image be generated (Figure 47).

Figure 47: Adjusting the Image Properties

5. Click the icon to export the map in image format or the icon to export the map in PDF
format. Once exported into these formats, the maps can be embedded in websites for public
consumption.
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