Government agencies highlight innovative approach to HPV vaccination using geospatial maps and data visualization

MANILA— National government agencies convened fo5r a technical dialogue on the use of geospatial information and data
visualization to strengthen health service delivery, particularly HPV vaccination, a key public health intervention that helps protect girls ages 9 to 14 from HPV infection and HPV-related diseases, including cervical cancer.

Dubbed the “GeoHPV Roundtable: Multi-agency Status Review, Implementation Gaps, and Geospatial Insights,”the technical dialogue brought
together representatives from the Department of Health’s (DOH) National Immunization Program (NIP), Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service (KMITS), Epidemiology Bureau (EB) and Health Promotion Bureau (HPB); the Department of Education’s Planning
Service-Education Management Information System Division (PS-EMISD); the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s National ICT Planning, Policy and Standards Bureau (DICT-NIPPSB); the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev);
the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Bureau of Local Government Development (DILG-BLGD); and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (DENR-NAMRIA).

Implemented by Jhpiego in partnership with DOH and DepEd,
under the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded HPV Vaccination Acceleration Program Partners Initiative (HAPPI),
the initiative used official DepEd school-based immunization data from 2015 to 2024 to develop geospatial dashboards and heat maps that can support evidence-based planning and decision-making.

The technical products provide visualizations of first-dose HPV vaccination (HPV1) coverage, school participation rates among provincial-
and city-level schools division offices, the distribution of schools based on HPV1 coverage, and municipal- and city-level HPV1 vaccination coverage. The initiative also developed a health facility accessibility geospatial tool using isochrones to show public
schools alongside their corresponding HPV1 coverage.

Dr. Anthony Calibo, Immunization Technical Advisor at Jhpiego Philippines, said the initiative demonstrates how data can be transformed
into practical insights to support vaccination planning. “Geospatial data allow us to see vaccination coverage beyond the numbers. By visualizing where coverage is strong and where gaps remain, decision-makers can better understand the local context and identify
opportunities to strengthen HPV vaccination delivery. This is an important step toward making data more actionable for planning and ultimately reaching more eligible children,” Calibo said.

Jade Ashley Corpuz, Economic Development Specialist I of DEPDev, highlighted the potential of the dashboards to support local and regional
planning by making vaccination gaps more visible.

“The dashboards can help identify local government units with significant gaps in HPV vaccination coverage and provide useful evidence for
the formulation and updating of regional development and investment plans. This kind of data can help planners better understand where gaps exist and where resources and interventions may be needed,” Corpuz said.

Corpuz also noted that policy recommendations from DOH and DepEd related to the use of geospatial information for HPV vaccination planning
may be presented to the Social Development Committee under DEPDev.

DOH KMITS and DepEd PS-EMISD agreed to pursue a joint agreement for hosting the dashboards, including a cost-sharing arrangement, through
a memorandum of agreement.

As part of the transition, Jhpiego will turn over the GitHub repository containing the dashboards and other geospatial tools to DOH and
DepEd. Following the handover, these resources will undergo further evaluation, validation and review by the concerned government agencies to determine their suitability, technical requirements and potential application in supporting HPV vaccination planning
and related government initiatives.

The technical products will be formally handed over to DOH and DepEd during the HAPPI Project’s upcoming completion ceremony, marking another
step toward strengthening the use of data, technology and geospatial insights in HPV vaccination planning and cervical cancer elimination efforts.