CARPHA Partners with the University of Oslo to Advance GIS and DHIS2 Capacity for Stronger Regional Public Health Surveillance

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. March 03, 2026. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), in collaboration with the University of Oslo, successfully conducted an intensive five-day workshop (February 23 – 27, 2026) on Geographic Information System (GIS) and District Health Information System2 (DHIS2), aimed at strengthening the integration and use of GIS and DHIS2, to support timely, accurate, and actionable public health surveillance.

The training brought together technical officers and public health professionals inclusive of epidemiologists, surveillance officers and information technology professionals from across seven (7) Caribbean countries including Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis to enhance their skills in configuring and using DHIS2, applying GIS tools for disease mapping, improving data quality, and developing dashboards to support evidence-based decision- making

Participants benefited from hands-on exercises involving realistic country scenarios, delivered under the guidance of technical officers from the Information Technology Unit at CARPHA and the University of Oslo. Through hands-on exercises, practical demonstrations, and country specific case discussions, participants gained valuable experience in:

• Strengthening DHIS2 support for public health surveillance
• Improving data quality and reporting timeliness
• Applying metadata governance and validation processes
• Generating charts, pivot tables, and interactive maps
• Designing impactful dashboards for decision-making

Mr. Juan Manuel Alcantara Acosta, DHIS2 Consultant, University of Oslo, opined that “One of the gaps that we see in the implementation of the system is in the area of communication”. He stated that “when you have a country that is fragmented into multiple Islands, getting information from one Island to the Capital is a challenge”, particularly in a tourist-driven environment where surveillance is critical.

He further stated that this training aims to work with technical teams to “explore options on how to manage this information” to ensure the timely completion of reports. Dr Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA, underscored the strategic importance of this workshop by stating, “Strengthening regional surveillance systems requires more than technology, it requires skilled professionals who can configure, validate, analyse, and translate data into action.

This collaboration with the University of Oslo enhances our capacity to leverage DHIS2 and GIS tools to improve data quality, interoperability, and real-time public health intelligence across the Region”. Dr Mark Sami, Director, Corporate Services, CARPHA, publicly expressed his appreciation, “The support received from the World Bank under the OECS Regional Health Project, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Advancing Regional Health Security Initiative and the University of Oslo is greatly appreciated, in making this workshop possible”. He further added, “their investment reflects a shared commitment to strengthening surveillance systems across the Caribbean”.

Expected Impact

This workshop has strengthened regional capacity to generate high-quality, standardised surveillance outputs that support evidence-based public health decision-making. It also reinforced collaboration between technical implementers and epidemiologists, ensuring that digital systems are aligned with national and regional surveillance priorities.

At the conclusion of the training, participants were awarded certificates in recognition of their successful completion of the GIS and DHIS2 programme.

This workshop reflects CARPHA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen surveillance and digital health systems to enhance regional preparedness and safeguard public health across the Caribbean. This initiative was funded under the auspices of the World Bank OECS Regional Health.