GIS is a vital tool for scientists and public health officials investigating the cause and spread of deadly diseases around the world.  Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as SARS can be quickly analyzed using GIS tools.

The SARS Mapping Web site was developed by ESRI China (Hong Kong) to track the locations of reported SARS cases.  It is part of an ongoing program to serve the local community through the innovative deployment of GIS.  The site was established and hosted as a voluntary initiative. Once the epidemic was over, the site was taken offline.  While it is hoped there will be no call to reactivate it, the site is ready if the need arises.

Courtesy of the ESRI.com Web site http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer04articles/tracking-sars.html