Abstract
<jats:p>Introduction. The growth of populations living in proximity to hazardous production facilities, the ageing of industrial infrastructure, and heightened risks from external threats – including intentional interference with technological processes – are increasing the likelihood of accidental releases with both acute and delayed public-health consequences. To enable managed response scenarios, it is advisable to develop geographic information systems capable of modelling various scenarios of technogenic risk impacts on population health and the environment. Objective: to develop methodological principles for the use of geoinformation technologies to assess technogenic and environmental risks and their effects on the health of the population of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. The study was conducted using an expanded interactive prototype of the Moscow Region geographic information system, EcoTechMed GIS (hereafter, EcoTechMed GIS), employed as a testbed for piloting technological solutions and embedding theoretical models for assessing the impacts of technogenic risks on the population. Input data included: a registry of medical organizations of the state healthcare system of the Moscow Region (with resources and capacity) and directories of hazardous production facilities with parameters such as source type, hazard class, sanitary protection zone (SPZ) dimensions, wind direction and speed, and automatic linkage to regulatory maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) and maximum permissible emissions (MPE). Geospatial data in the system are represented as vector layers (administrative boundaries, emission zones, object indices/labels), raster basemaps, heatmaps, and animated vector isopleths showing plume dispersion; their generation and visualization used geodesic functions (forward geodesic by azimuth, construction of oriented ellipses). Distance calculations were implemented via an open-source routing engine. The analytical component relied on spatial analysis methods (geometric approximation of the plume with oriented ellipses) and mathematical modelling of contaminant dispersion, including solutions to diffusion equations, a Gaussian plume model for point sources, gradient-transport (advection–diffusion) models, and a grid-based approach with spatiotemporal discretization. Results. Using the EcoTechMed GIS as an example, the study demonstrates how environmental, medical, and geographic data can be integrated within a single spatial framework; how emission sources and population exposure zones can be visualized; and how temporal indicators, the size of potentially affected groups, and the resource requirements of healthcare facilities can be assessed – taking into account exposure types, clinical profiles, and the modalities and conditions of medical care for casualties and populations affected by technogenic (man-made) factors. The system supports emergency analysis (for accidental release scenarios), proposes optimal patient routing pathways, and thereby increases practical utility for multiple agencies and services. Conclusion. The algorithms embedded in EcoTechMed GIS demonstrated the viability of the approach and its scalability to other regions with minimal adaptation of input data and calibration of models to local climatic and geographical conditions. Integration of such solutions could provide the foundation for a «National Atlas of Environmental Health» enable systematic monitoring of environmental and technogenic (man-made) risk factors, and support the planning and conduct of joint training exercises with the Disaster Medicine Service, Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, and local self-government authorities.</jats:p>