Amy Blatt
A medical geographer and public health advocate, Dr. Amy Blatt stands at the intersection of health, science, and place. She holds a BS in biological sciences from Stanford University and PhD in geography from the University of Cincinnati.
Subjects: Geography , Health and Social Care, Information Science
Biography
Amy Blatt, Ph.D., GISP, has over 15 years of research and teaching experience in geography, GIS, and public health, gained at the University of Cincinnati, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and other institutions. She serves as a consultant on advanced geospatial applications and visualizations, and her health research has been favorably reviewed in Nature. As a special theme co-editor of the International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research and editorial board member of the Journal of Map and Geography Libraries since 2003, she brings numerous geospatial technologies and applications to a broad audience of professionals through featured articles, interviews, and columns.Education
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B.S., Stanford University, Stanford, California, 1995
M.S., University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 1998
Ph.D., University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2002
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Dr. Blatt has published extensively in the fields of geography, science, and public health. She has served as guest editor of a number of academic journals, including the International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research, and the Journal of Map and Geography Libraries. Her work has been favorably reviewed by her peers, and has served as editor and author of two medical geography texts - "Health, Science, and Place: A New Model" (Springer, 2014) and "Perspectives in Medical Geography" (Routledge, 2012).
Websites
Books
Articles
Open-Access Geospatial Data: Promise and Potential
Published: Aug 05, 2016 by Journal of Map & Geography Libraries
Authors: Amy J. Blatt
Subjects:
Geography , Information Science
The landscape of open-access geospatial data is full of promise and potential. Data on everything, everywhere, and at all times is changing the way we view our world, and librarians can help their patrons figure out how good the data are and how ethical it is to use them.
The Benefits and Risks of Volunteered Geographic Information
Published: May 18, 2015 by Journal of Map & Geography Libraries
Authors: Amy J. Blatt
Subjects:
Geography , Health and Social Care, Information Science
An overview of VGI with a focus on possible and real legal implications. Compares the difference between VGI and contributed geographic information, or CGI. This is an extremely useful column on inherent responsibilities for librarians in relation to working with researchers using VGI, with timely reminders about the ethics and privacy issues involved.
Technological Changes in Maps and Cartography
Published: Sep 11, 2013 by Journal of Map & Geography Libraries
Authors: Amy J. Blatt
Subjects:
Geography , Information Science
A review of the major changes in maps and cartography - from traditional map atlases to on-line mapping apps.
Using GIS in emergency management in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Published: May 09, 2012 by Journal of Map & Geography Libraries
Authors: Amy J. Blatt
Subjects:
Geography , Information Science
David and Stacey Sekkes are a husband-and-wife team who work in Chester County government, providing their expertise in local geography and GIS to run the Emergency Operations Center(EOC). David coordinates the GIS activities within the DES, while Stacey provides leadership in Chester County GIS Services and coordinates the staffing support for EOC during emergency events. This conversation in this column was compiled over a series of interviews with both David and Stacey during January 2012.
Ethics and privacy issues in the use of GIS
Published: Jan 12, 2012 by Journal of Map and Geography Libraries
Authors: Amy J. Blatt
Subjects:
Geography , Information Science
In areas of geography where personal data on individuals are often used (such as medical geography, geodemography, and planning), it is important for map and geography librarians to be aware of ethics and privacy issues in the archiving, cataloguing, and distribution of geospatial datasets containing personal and identifiable information.