| Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) departments in many organizations are faced with two interrelated problems which limit their ability to make accurate decisions based on quality data. First, many EHS departments follow a reactive business management model and need to work towards a proactive continuous improvement model to better manage EHS. The second is a lack of data integration and interoperability between the numerous different EHS data sources and systems. EHS departments are challenged with managing large quantities of data generated through tracking and monitoring programs to continuously improve EHS performance. EHS data can be in many forms paper, digital files, spreadsheets, images, relational databases and proprietary software applications. EHS data have strong spatial relationships, which makes the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) a very cost effective and feasible solution for integrating and managing EHS data. This thesis will outline how GIS brings to EHS the advantages of traditional IT methods with the added benefit of spatial analytical operations such as map overlay, relationships and querying, and informative visual presentation through maps, floor plans, and imagery through the implementation of a GIS database for EHS called GeoSpatial Environmental Health and Safety (GEO-EHS). |
