EXPLORING Food Environments Continued from page 51 The food deserts group on ArcGIS.com (www.arcgis.com) was started for anyone interested in studying food deserts and their relation to other topics, such as poverty, obesity, and other health concerns. Visitors can view maps on food access and expenditures. Putting Data to Work Dr. Angela Odoms-Young, an assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the University of Illinois, Chicago, stresses that investigating food deserts should be used to improve the food environments in these areas, not chalk up another negative mark against particular neighborhoods. "As a researcher, if a food desert is something policy makers hear and they want to do something about, I'm in support of it, but as a community member, it's another negative thing about the place where I live. It's not the need that brings in the resources; there's got to be an and. There's a need, and there's an economic opportunity." The business community agrees. "It's time for action," said Alan Hunt, senior policy associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International. "What is needed is a set of coordinated, community-based activities across the country, including outreach to existing corner stores, incentives for locating new retail stores, 52 ArcUser Fall 2010 public transportation improvements, farmers' market development, nutrition education, and other activities to improve food access." The Wallace Center is a national nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs and communities in building a food system that is healthier for people, the environment, and the economy. Food access data is particularly relevant, as many large retailers and grocery store chains analyze where to locate new stores in the same way. Edens & Avant, which owns, operates, and develops community-oriented shopping centers throughout the East Coast, aligns the best mix of retailers (e.g., Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and Publix) with neighborhood needs and market opportunities using GIS and geographically referenced demographic information. Continuing the Discussion Herries started the Food Deserts group on Esri's ArcGIS.com (www.arcgis.com) for anyone interested in studying food deserts and their relationship to other topics such as poverty, obesity, and other health concerns. (The ArcGIS.com Web site allows anyone to create maps, find and use maps, use Web mapping applications, and share maps and applications published by Esri and the ArcGIS community.) Herries has placed the Healthy Food Access Score and other related maps on the site. About the Author Karen Richardson has been at Esri for almost 18 years, serving in various capacities in sales and marketing. She is currently a writer in the marketing communications department, specializing in the use of GIS in commercial business and the map, data, chart production, and spatial data infrastructure (SDI) communities. She edits the Esri newsletters BusinessGeoInfo, Compass Points, and Smart Facilities. www.esri.com