Introduction to GIS for Public Health

Name: Introduction to GIS for Public Health
Rating: 4.5 (132 reviews)

An open source approach

Created byGeoHealth Experts

Last updated 4/2024

English

What you'll learn

Comprehend the intersection between GIS and Public Health
Use Health data in a GIS
Produce maps depicting Health data
Apply multiple geospatial techniques
Analyse Health data spatially
Identify domains in which GIS and spatial analysis techniques can support decision-making in Public Health
Address Health and research questions using GIS
Visualise health data
Mapping
GIS foundations

Course content

6 sections • 36 lectures • 2h 57m total length

Welcome students 10:02
Course Enrolment Survey0:01

Lecture 1 - Understanding the foundations of GIS in the context of public health6:19
Explore Tobler's first law of geography and its implications for visualizing health data in public health, and see how John Snow mapped wells and cholera deaths to reveal spatial patterns.
Tutorial 1 - Remap John Snow's data0:01
Lecture 2 - The foundations of GIS8:30
Tutorial 2 - Explore QGIS interface, data models and data types0:01
Lecture 3 - Working with data in the GIS environment8:46
Analyze spatial data collection techniques and formats in a GIS workflow. Learn about data quality, metadata, field types, and common import/export formats like shapefile, CSV, GeoPackage, and GeoJSON.
Tutorial 3 - Create metadata and import/export different spatial data formats0:08
Lecture 4 - Data manipulation concepts7:55
Master data manipulation in GIS by using attribute and spatial queries, linking alphanumeric data with geometry, and mapping where features occur via relationships like intersect, within distance, and containment.
Tutorial 4 - Use basic tools to explore data0:01

Lecture 1 - Why Public Health needs GIS12:31
Explore how GIS enables public health decisions by mapping supply, demand, access, and utilization; apply Geo Health concepts and build a multi-level data framework with geocoded facilities and health outcomes.
Tutorial 1 - Download and convert data0:01
Lecture 2A - Coordinate Reference Systems9:31
Explore geographic and projected coordinate systems, datums, and map projections in GIS for public health, and how conversions to flat maps cause shape, area, and distance distortions.
Lecture 2B - Attribute joins4:47
Explore how spatial and attribute joins link external data to GIS layers using a common primary key. Learn one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-one links, and why exporting the join permanently matters.
Tutorial 2 - Project and spatially join datasets0:01
Lecture 3 - Geocoding: making health data mappable11:01
Tutorial 3 - Geocoding and data cleaning0:01
Lecture 4 - Transform Health Data10:40
Explore how data aggregation and point level data shape health insights, compare absolute versus rate-based measures, and weigh privacy, spatial resolution, and the pros and cons of aggregated maps.
Tutorial 4 - Working with different spatial scales0:01

Lesson 1 - Represent Health data13:03
Tutorial 1 - Create a choropleth map and experiment with data classification0:01
Lesson 2 - Visualise Health data9:58
Explore data visualisation in health mapping by applying charts, deviations, rankings, and distributions, and learn to use time and space-time animation to reveal patterns and support decision making.
Tutorial 2 - Create data visualisations with Data Plotly plugin0:01
Lesson 3 - Designing maps12:34
Design balanced, legible map layouts by arranging map frames, marginal information, legends, scales, north arrows, and titles to clearly tell health stories.
Tutorial 3 - Work with symbology files and design a layout0:01
Lesson 4 - Share and publish maps and web GIS9:47
Explore how to export maps from QGIS as pdf or images, create map books and atlases, and publish web GIS with QGIS2Web using Leaflet or OpenLayers for accessible, shareable maps.
Tutorial 4 - Export a static map and share a web map0:01

Lesson 1 - Perform spatial analysis and clustering in the context of Public Heal19:44
Tutorial 1 - Create a heatmap and clusters0:01
Lesson 2 - Create space-time modelling7:02
Tutorial 2 - Create time animations0:01
Lesson 3 - Execute network and accessibility analysis13:51
Explore how network analysis and accessibility assess health facility access, focusing on service areas and origin-destination matrices to model routes, 15-minute buffers, and isochrones.
Tutorial 3 - Perform network analysis0:01
Lesson 4 – Course wrap-up and feedback10:52

Requirements

No prior knowledge of particular topics is required; this is an introductory course, therefore suitable for beginners.
As for the technical requirements, you'll need a computer with an internet connection and web browse and permission to install the software (QGIS).

Description

'Introduction to Geographic Information Systems for Public Health - an open-source approach' is a self-paced online course packed with contents that will fast-track your learning journey in the GIS and public health domain.

This introductory GIS and Health course will help you understand spatial techniques used in GIS and Health and some core theory, concepts and background so that you can use GIS successfully. We created this course in response to the increasing need for health professionals to incorporate location intelligence in their day-to-day decisions and the growing availability of open-source GIS tools and datasets.

This is how the course is going to help you:

You'll be in a better position to meet your daily decision-making needs at work
You'll be inspired to start research in this subject
You'll diversify and enhance your skillset (either in GIS, Health, or both)
You'll be able to apply the learnings to your work/studies right after.
You will learn both theoretical concepts and practical skills in GIS at the intersection of the Public Health context.

This course is composed of 17 video lectures and 15 tutorials. QGIS will be used in the tutorials, which is a free, open-source application available for Windows, MacOS and Linux.

There are no assessments in this course, at least not in the traditional sense of it! The best way for you self-evaluate is by following the tutorials.

Social learning plays a vital role in getting the most out of this journey, so you might also like to join in on conversations using @OriGudes, #gisforpublichealth and #GeoHealth on social media.

Who this course is for:

Government employees in the Health sector
Academics/students working on public health-related issues
NGOs in the Health sector

Introduction to GIS for Public Health

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Welcome to the course!2 lectures • 1min

Module 1 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Public Health8 lectures • 32min

Module 2 - Public Health topics and their intersection with spatial data9 lectures • 49min

Module 3 – Introduction to mapping techniques in the context of Public Health8 lectures • 45min

Module 4 – From a spatial analysis of Health data to relevant Public Health7 lectures • 52min

Course completion2 lectures • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: