Abstract
Under-five mortality continues to be a critical public health issue, marked by persistent geographic disparities that impede achieving child survival goals. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offer an effective approach to pinpointing mortality hotspots, analyzing local risk factors, and facilitating targeted interventions. However, many healthcare systems utilize GIS in a fragmented and limited manner, hindered by inadequate infrastructure, isolated data systems, and a lack of technical expertise. This policy brief outlines a strategic framework to embed GIS into child health planning and decision-making. It proposes five integrated policy recommendations: investing in sustainable GIS infrastructure and governance, embracing advanced and interactive GIS technologies, improving data infrastructure and interoperability, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and capacity development, and enhancing community involvement with a focus on equity. Together, these measures will evolve GIS from a simple mapping tool to a dynamic decision-support system. Such a system could enable near-real-time identification of mortality hotspots by integrating data streams from facility-based reporting, community health workers, and demographic surveillance, thereby optimizing resource allocation and supporting the creation of culturally appropriate, equity-driven interventions.