Maps of rabies cases viewed against a variety of GIS or other overlays such as human population density, habitats, agriculture, species distribution and barriers to spread, like high mountains, rivers and larger lakes, fit the old adage that ‘a picture is worth a 1000 words’.

Mapping over time provides a powerful tool for rabies management decision making, as seen here. However, mapping of rabies cases alone may give an incomplete picture of the epidemiological situation as absence of cases on a map does not rule out the presence of rabies in a particular region if there is no information on animals tested. Therefore, negative results should be mapped and analyzed alongside positives over space and time to understand these dynamics for successful outreach and intervention programs, and to identify gaps in regional rabies surveillance.