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Geographical Information Systems for Health Research and Public Health

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Tutors: Dr Ben Wheeler (course organiser), Mr Andy Judge  

Download the booking form

Duration: Two days

Dates: 5 - 6 November 2009

Course fee: £360

Aim: To provide a basic introduction to Geographical Information Systems (GIS), mapping, and their use in health research and public health practice. Participants will gain understanding of relevant theoretical aspects of health geography and mapping, along with practical experience of using GIS software.

Learning objectives: By the end of the course, students should:

  • Understand what geographical information systems are, and recognise some of their benefits and limitations.
  • Appreciate some of the potential applications of GIS and mapping in health research and public health practice.
  • Be able to critically appraise maps.
  • Gain some basic practical experience of using GIS and spatial analysis software, and the global positioning system (GPS).
  • Know where to go for GIS resources and further training.

Course outline: The course will cover: introduction to GIS and Health-GIS; display and analysis of spatially referenced data; UK health-related geographies and geographic data; applications in public health, health services research and epidemiology; use of spatial data collected using GPS.

Who the course is intended for: This course is intended for health researchers and public health practitioners with no prior experience of using GIS. The course is a broad-brush introduction to both theory and practice, and further software-specific training may be required if participants wish to gain further skills.

Software: Practical elements of this course will be taught using the open-source (free) software MapWindow GIS. Basic spatial analyses will be taught using Geoda. Course participants will be provided with a copy of the software on CD. Concepts and skills are transferable to other packages, such as ArcGIS and MapInfo, but these other packages are not available for teaching on the course.

Teaching time: 12 hours consisting of practical sessions and short tutorials

Pre-course reading:

Course participants will be requested to read a paper for discussion during the course; details will be sent to registered participants prior to the course.

For those interested in doing some general pre-course reading, the following book is recommended (but not at all essential):

Cromley, EK & McLafferty, SL (2002) GIS and Public Health . London: The Guilford Press. ISBN 1-57230-707-2.

For further information: please contact short-course@bristol.ac.uk