Published

January 10, 2023

Maps and More

Before Class

Please take some time to read over this excellent introduction to some of the key questions and challenges in spatial epidemiology:

Kirby RS, Delmelle E, Eberth JM. Advances in spatial epidemiology and geographic information systems. Annals of Epidemiology. 2017;27(1):1-9. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.12.001

As well as this piece, which reviews some of the social and technological innovations in spatial epidemiology that have occurred in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Koch T. Welcome to the revolution: COVID-19 and the democratization of spatial-temporal data. PATTERNS. 2021;2(7). doi:10.1016/j.patter.2021.100272 (Open Access)

During Class

For the first half of class, we will go over the components of the [[Roadmap Project]] in detail and discuss any questions you might have about the readings for today.

In the second half of class, we will complete the [[Good Map, Bad Map]] activity, in which you will look for examples of contemporary maps that do and do not effectively convey spatial information. We will use this as a springboard for discussing the power and limitations of maps as presentations of cause-and-effect in epidemiology and beyond. Please use the assigned readings as a guide for this conversation, as they get into some of the tools available for conducting spatial epidemiology and some of the key ideas underlying the health geography perspective.

Additional Resources