Geographic information systems (GIS) in health organizations: emerging trends for professional education

An interdisciplinary research team conducted a study to inform the development of a GIS course focused on healthcare administration, management, and policy. An electronic survey of 134 (44.7% response rate, n=60) health care professionals from a variety of private and public organizations yielded data used in the analysis of organizational experience with GIS, user qualifications and training, and average salaries for new GIS analysts. Results of the survey indicate organizations have used GIS for five years or more, annual salaries are >$40,000, staffs are small, most are not certified GIS professionals, and the majority of organizations use ESRI's ArcGIS software.