Introduction
The physical and social environment that surrounds us plays an important part in our health and wellbeing. The geography concept of ‘place’ thus cannot be ignored in public health. Whether investigating the level of environmental pollution, access to recreation or health services, or the patterns or spread of disease, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide the standard platform for exploring spatial attributes and relationships between our environment and health.
This course consists of a mix of lectures, demonstrations and plenty of practical time for hands-on data analysis in industry standard GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS, R). No prior knowledge of GIS is required, though completion of pre-course work is essential preparation for this intensive course.
Course objectives
- To understand how GIS can be used to enhance public health and research;
- To acquire, add, manipulate, visualize and map spatial data in a GIS;
- To be able to perform basic spatial analyses.
Course Modules
- Introduction to GIS and how it is used in public health and epidemiological research;
- Working with and integrating spatial and non-spatial data;
- Geographic scale and spatial precision;
- Projections;
- Geocoding;
- Visualization;
- Thematic mapping;
- Understanding spatial relationships;
- Route analysis and spatial linkage of exposure, contextual and confounder information for epidemiological or health risk assessment studies;
- Case study.
Language of instruction
English
Target group
Programme staff of Public Health humanitarian and development agencies including project managers, officers and assistants.
Training methodology
The training delivery method includes interactive or recorded online sessions, PowerPoint presentations, articles, publications, documentaries, quizzes and assessments.
Training cost
The training cost is US$ 400 and it covers the tuition fees, learning materials and certification.
Below are the payment options for your training fees:
Bank Transfer Western Union Money Transfer WorldRemit Internet Money Transfer
Training dates
Please check the Online Courses page in our website www.iphdcinternational.org for the actual dates.
The next session of this course will take place from 3rd to 7th November 2025.
We also provide self-paced learning option if your schedule is not favorable to enroll on the planned date.
Application process
Applicants should complete the Course Application Form and then proceed to pay the training fees.
Tailor-made training option
We can provide your organization a tailor-made training with similar content but addressing your specific capacity needs. In case you want to explore this option, you can contact us to share with you a proposal for that training. For more information on this option send an email to training@iphdcinternational.org.
