Welcome to Y-GIS

Creating opportunities for healthy living makes a community stronger. Y-GIS, a joint project between the Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) and YMCA of the USA, helps communities give all residents healthy choices and support healthy lifestyles. Y-GIS gives Healthier Communities teams the tools to learn about existing resources in their communities so they may be more effective in planning their policies, systems, and environmental change efforts.

This resource is built on the suite of Internet-based Geographic Information System (GIS) and reporting applications developed by CARES, and customized for use by Healthier Communities Initiative (HCI) teams. Teams will be able to visualize and overlay GIS data layers for communities, no matter the size.

Y-GIS is just one tool available to help members of HCI teams work together to build a healthier nation. Here, you can map your community and use data to better guide your effort to create and sustain positive change in support of healthy living. Other tools are available on Y-USA’s Healthier Communities Initiatives Web community.