What is the place for space in epidemiology?

Abstract

At the heart of spatial epidemiology is the need to describe and understand variation in population health. In this review and introduction to the themed issue on “Spatial Analysis and GIS in Epidemiology,” we present theoretical foundations and methodological developments in spatial epidemiology, discuss spatial analytical techniques and their public health applications, and identify novel data sources and applications with the potential to make epidemiology more consequential. Challenges with using georeferenced data are also explored, including dealing with small sample sizes, missingness, generalizability, and geographic scale. Given the increasing availability of spatial data and visualization tools, we have an opportunity to overcome traditionally siloed fields and practice settings to advance knowledge and more appropriately respond to emerging public health crises.