Tracking Terminology

Environmental public health tracking is the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, and interpretation of data about

• environmental hazards
• exposure to environmental hazards
• health effects potentially related to exposure to environmental hazards.

The Environmental Public Health Tracking Program consists of a network of people (i.e., individuals and organizations) with responsibilities in protecting public health, which enable a network of information systems (i.e., data systems and Web-based data query tools).

CDC hosts a dynamic, web-based data system called the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. The Tracking Network brings together health data and environment data from a number of credible sources and provides supporting information to make the data easier to understand. CDC funds health departments to build and implement local tracking networks. These state and local data systems feed into the national Tracking Network.