Entrance to St. James's Hospital, Dublin
Esri Ireland, a Dublin-based subsidiary of the software company Esri that specialises in the application of geographical information systems (GIS), has received funding to carry out a digital mapping project to map out all of the health-related services in the vicinity of St James’s Hospital.
The company was chosen to carry out the project under the first round of Connected Health, a new initiative launched by the Digital Hub and St James’s Hospital.
Earlier this year, digital technology companies were asked to submit proposals focusing on mapping healthcare assets around St James’s Hospital in Dublin.
Esri Ireland will now receive seed funding valued at up to €15,000 and free office space to develop a website and mobile app using local data to document all health-related services near St James’s Hospital.
The company, which specialises in GIS, will be working with clinicians from the hospital to develop the new website and mobile mapping platform.
The new digital tools developed by Esri Ireland are set to form part of a preventative healthcare project known as LAMP that’s in progress at St James’s Hospital.
The LAMP project aims to create a map of all services and amenities in the area surrounding the hospital that impact both directly and indirectly on health. This map will be used as a service design and research tool for St James’s in order to give the hospital a better understanding of how to support health and wellness in the local community. The map will also be available online.
Commenting on the initiative, Dr Gerard Boyle, principal physicist at St James’s Hospital, said health technology is no longer just about tools for the treatment and diagnosis of disease in a clinical setting.
“Increasingly, potential applications for technology to support health and wellness in the community are emerging. We are delighted to be working with Esri Ireland to explore the potential of GIS in this area,” he said.
The Digital Hub and St James’s Hospital will also be developing future Connected Health projects involving Irish companies.
