GIS in Epidemiology - MZ340E17
Title: GIS in Epidemiology
Czech title: GIS v epidemiologii
Guaranteed by: Department of Social Geography and Regional Development (31-340)
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Actual: from 2024 to 2024
Semester: summer
E-Credits: 3
Examination process: summer s.:
Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/2, C [HT]
Capacity: unlimited
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: not taught
Language: English
Note: enabled for web enrollment
priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
Guarantor: doc. RNDr. Pavlína Netrdová, Ph.D.
Opinion survey results   Examination dates   Schedule   
Annotation -
Epidemiology seeks to determine associations between exposure risk and disease that are spatially dependent. This course offers an introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its application in epidemiological research. GIS provides the standard platform for exploring spatial data and is a useful tool to capture, store, analyse, manage, and visualize spatial data. It helps in understanding spatial relationships between our environment and health (The One Health Concept will be considered). The course emphasizes the potential of GIS as an epidemiological analysis tool for describing the magnitude and distribution of health problems and infectious agents, identifying health determinants and sources of infections and supporting health decision-making. Specific topics include epidemiological risk assessment and exploratory analyses of patterns and spread of causative agents of infectious diseases (virus, microorganisms, parasites etc.).
Last update: Tůmová Martina, PhDr., Ph.D. (23.05.2025)
Literature -

Required and suggested study materials for each lecture are available in the online system Moodle.

Last update: Altová Anna, Mgr., Ph.D. (13.03.2019)
Requirements to the exam -

Active attendance of at least 80% lectures.
Timely and quality submission of solution of practical assignments in ArcGIS.

Oral presentation and critical discussion of a selected paper or research related to the application of GIS in epidemiology.

Last update: Altová Anna, Mgr., Ph.D. (13.03.2019)
Syllabus -

Students will gain knowledge in the fundamentals of GIS for spatial data handling and analysis. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the role GIS plays in solving epidemiological problems in terms of infectious diseases;
  • Understand the data models in GIS, how to input, edit, manipulate and display spatial data, how to manage a spatial database;
  • Integrate spatial and non-spatial epidemiologic data in GIS;
  • Create quality thematic maps in GIS;
  • Carry out basic spatial analyses of epidemiological information from different data sources through specific GIS tools and procedures.

This course is a mix of lectures, demonstrations and practical time for hands-on data analysis in GIS software (ArcGIS, ESRI). The course takes place in a PC room with available GIS software. 

No prior knowledge of GIS is required for this course.

Last update: Altová Anna, Mgr., Ph.D. (13.03.2019)