GEOSR (Geospatial, Epidemiology, and Outcomes Shared Resource)

Overview of Services

The Geospatial, Epidemiology, and Outcomes Shared Resource (GEOSR) at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Cancer Center, can assist Investigators with providing access to the data necessary to accelerate cancer research. GEOSR, together with the Integrated Cancer Data Resource (ICDR) team, provides access to population-based data, cancer epidemiology and database expertise, information on the cancer burden in the catchment area, and geospatial mapping and analysis to catalyze population-based cancer research at MCW, with an emphasis on cancer disparities. The ICDR team, in collaboration with the CTSI, can assist Investigators with accessing and utilizing electronic health record data including automated abstraction of discrete or near discrete data elements. Other services include development of new data infrastructure as well as updating existing data infrastructure. 

GEOSR serves numerous departments and centers on and off campus. The services offered align with three primary aims: (1) To provide up-to-date information on the cancer burden in the MCW Cancer Center catchment area, including spatial and sociodemographic patterns of cancer incidence, diagnosis stage, and mortality; (2) To facilitate the optimal and appropriate use of population-based data resources to conduct rigorous cancer and cancer disparities research; and (3) To support the use of geospatial mapping and analysis techniques and provide geographic information systems (GIS) services.

Geospatial Services
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis services

• Spatial data acquisition, preparation, and management
• Cartography, mapping, and data visualization
• Geocoding, distance estimation and routing, geographic access estimation
• Disease mapping, small area estimation, spatial pattern and cluster analysis
• Modeling including spatial and clustered data
• Web-based mapping
• Data analysis in R, STATA, Esri software
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related technology support
• Software license(s) for GIS and related software (Esri, STATA)
• Consultation
• Geospatial analysis techniques and data sources

Epidemiology Services
General epidemiologic information about cancer burden

• Boiler plate information for grant applications about cancer burden and GEO center
• Basic epidemiologic data (Froedtert-MCW, Southeastern Wisconsin, Wisconsin, U.S.)
• Catchment area/WI cancer maps
• Website (updated cancer data, maps, links to publicly available data, related sites)
• Specific epidemiologic information
• Preliminary data for grant applications
• Anticipated accruals to clinical trials
• Consultation on study design and methodology
• Cancer knowledge, database expertise
• Study design, aims, measurement/variables, feasibility

Outcomes Services
Data acquisition, preparation, management, and analysis

• Database acquisition, licensing and use agreements
• Database repository and maintenance
• Database cleaning
• Variable creation
• Data manipulation/linkage
• Preparation of dataset for analyses
• Preparation of data dictionaries/metadata
• Data analyses
• Computer and statistical programming (R, SAS, Python, etc.)
• Consultation
• Specific database knowledge
• Variable creation and data analysis strategies

Integrated Cancer Data Resource (ICDR) Services
Data acquisition, management, and storage

• Consultative services for:
• Accessing and utilizing electronic health record (EHR) data, including genomics
• Determining necessary approaches for secondary analyses of EHR data elements
• Integrating other sources of data with EHR data
• Clinical trial eligibility estimates and accrual support
• Development services for:
• Building new data infrastructure, including institutional REDCap databases and custom REDCap builds
• Updating existing data infrastructure
• NIH data repository setup
• Electronic consent development
• Data abstraction, including:
• Automated abstraction of discrete or near discrete data elements
• Curation engine to support abstraction of advanced data elements
• Image deidentification
• Mapping data elements to common data models
• Data storage and support of high-performance computing
• Training on use of CTSI self-service tools

Leadership

Kirsten Beyer, MPH, MS, PhD | Co-Director

Tina Yen, MD, MS | Co-Director

Anai Kothari, MD, MS | Co-Director

Hours of Operation

Links and Resources

• Geospatial Epidemiology & Outcomes (GEO) Shared Resource

Contacts