Abstract
The Appalachian Region in Eastern United States is a socioeconomically challenged area that spans 206,000 square miles across 13 states. Over 26 million people live in the 423 counties and 8 independent cities included in this region. The Appalachian Region is often classified as ‘rural’, but the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service only classifies about 25% of the localities as truly rural with the others falling along the urban spectrum. This indicates that the Appalachian Region is not homogeneous in nature and should not be treated as such when it comes to planning for animal emergencies.
Animal population estimates for this project were obtained from multiple sources. Livestock and poultry numbers were downloaded from the USDA 2017 Census of Agriculture. County-level dog and feline numbers were calculated based on United States Census Bureau household numbers and American Veterinary Medical Association state level multipliers. State veterinary licensure data for the 13 Appalachian states was aggregated at county level for those who listed an in-state address only. AVMA veterinary clinic data was accessed through ESRI ArcGIS Online. Other data layers, ecoregions and internet distribution, were also added to the project in ESRI ArcMap 10.8.2.
Cattle, equine, and small ruminants are distributed throughout most of Appalachia with an exception being some of the counties located within the Appalachian Mountain ecoregion. Swine and poultry are heavily concentrated in the southern part of Appalachia with pockets found in several other areas. The distribution of dogs and cats align with the human population distribution since the calculations involve household numbers. More than 27% of the localities in Appalachia either have ‘0’ or ‘1’ veterinary clinic located in their vicinity. Finally, multiple jurisdictions report less than 70% of households have internet subscription which doesn’t necessarily reflect access to broadband internet.
While planning is usually done locally, a regional exploration of data might be helpful in locating other jurisdictions that might have a similar distribution of animals enabling localities to share best practice or plans. For instance, 45 counties report more than 2.5 million broilers. Additionally, a regional approach might be needed if an area is a ‘veterinary desert’ and there are not many options to house or treat animals in certain situations. One issue with large datasets is the accuracy of the data. For instance, another equine population estimate reports that are over twice the total number of equine in the US compared to the USDA data meaning methodology and limitations must be explored to determine which number to include as this could affect the ability and capacity to respond to animal emergencies. Finally, GIS can be used to identify impediments such as geography or inability to communicate which may affect planning.