Spectrum
Spectrum is a suite of easy to use policy models which provide policymakers with an analytical tool to support the decision making process.
Spectrum consists of several software models including:
- DemProj: Demography
DemProj projects the population for an entire country or region by age and sex, based on assumptions about fertility, mortality, and migration. A full set of demographic indicators can be displayed for up to 50 years into the future. Urban and rural projections can also be prepared. A companion model, EasyProj, supplies the data needed to make a population projection from the estimates produced by the Population Division of the United Nations.
- FamPlan: Family Planning
FamPlan projects family planning requirements needed to reach national goals for addressing unmet need or achieving desired fertility. It can be used to set realistic goals, to plan for the service expansion required to meet program objectives, and to evaluate alternative methods of achieving goals. The program uses assumptions about the proximate determinants of fertility and the characteristics of the family planning program (method mix, source mix, discontinuation rates) to calculate the cost and the number of users and acceptors of different methods by source. FamPlan is also available as a stand-alone web site.
- LiST: Lives Saved Tool (Child Survival)
A program to project the changes in child survival in accordance with changes in coverage of different child health interventions. More information on LiST can be found on the Lives Saved Tools web site.
- AIM: AIDS Impact Model
AIM projects the consequences of the HIV epidemic, including the number of people living with HIV, new infections, and AIDS deaths by age and sex; as well as the new cases of tuberculosis and AIDS orphans. AIM is used by UNAIDS to make the national and regional estimates it releases every two years. AIM is also available as a stand-alone web site.
- Goals: Cost and impact of HIV Intervention
The Goals Model helps efforts to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by showing how the amount and allocation of funding is related to the achievement of national goals, such as reduction of HIV prevalence and expansion of care and support.
- Resource Needs Module: Costs of implementing an HIV/AIDS program
The Resource Needs Model estimates the costs of implementing an HIV/AIDS program, including costs for care and treatment, prevention programs, and policy and program support.
- RAPID: Resources for the Awareness of Population Impacts on Development
RAPID projects the social and economic consequences of high fertility and rapid population growth for such sectors as labor, education, health, urbanization, and agriculture. This program is used to raise policymakers' awareness of the importance of fertility and population growth as factors in social and economic development.
- TIME: TB Impact Model and Estimates ? Epidemiological and cost-effectiveness analysis of TB control strategies
TIME is a suite of TB analytic tools used for the epidemiological, impact and cost-effectiveness analysis and other rational steps of strategic TB policy and program design.
- Malaria: Impact of malaria interventions
The Malaria module helps malaria control programs in countries with endemic malaria to project over time their feasible intervention coverage targets, expected impact on malaria infection prevalence, malaria case load and malaria-attributable mortality, in 3 distinct age groups, and the associated costs and cost-effectiveness of alternative policy scenarios or strategic plans.
Most models are available in English, French, and Spanish. Some are also available in Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian
Spectrum materials are hosted by HP+ partner, Avenir Health. You can access additional details, help files, and download the current and historical versions of Spectrum desktop software from their website: http://www.avenirhealth.org/software-spectrum.php.
You can also find additional historical information on the Health Policy Project site.
