Course overview in 200 words
Spatial examination of population health entails engaging with population vulnerabilities, environment exposures, health data, and spatial methods. In this context, this course examines the nexus of Geographical information science, place (neighbourhood), and population health, with the aim of helping students form and answer questions about the ways in which different exposures to different types of environments (physical, social, and service) influence health behaviour, risks, and outcomes. The course setup is designed towards paving the way for students to carry out GIS analytical projects independently. Hence, the setup is based three edges: (1) introducing foundational concepts and approaches through lectures; (2) preparing data and practicing methods through GIS practicals (labs); and (3) and finally, students applying the knowledge they gained in carrying out projects independently through assignments (projects). The course starts from the comprehension of basic geographic concepts, operationalizations of neighbourhoods, and representation of health data geographically, moving all they way to spatial cluster analysis, measurement of spatial accessibility, and examining statistical association between exposures and health outcomes. Upon finishing the course requirements, students should be able to design and lead future GIS analytical projects in the context of informing health planning and public health policies aiming at reducing health inequities.
Themes covered in the course
- Spatial measurements of population vulnerabilities
- Operationalization and measurement of Neighbourhood environments
- Conceptual frameworks in GIS and Health
- Examining, preparing, and merging health, environment, and population demographics datasets
- Geographic representation of health and population data
- Structure and stages of GIS projects in health research
- Strengths and limitation assocaited with using spatial data and spatial boundaries
- Examinations of global and local spatial clusters
- Spatial Access to medical and non-medical resources
- Regression and Geographically weighted regression
- Triangulations of spatial methods in examining complex population health topics
- Plain interpretation of GIS analytical output interpretation and forming policy recommendations
Student Mini-project portfolio (Fall 2025)
The mini project focuses on walkability as a neighbourhood feature that can shape daily mobility, access to amenities, community interaction, and health outcomes. Walkability resources are not distributed evenly across neighbourhoods, and this uneven distribution can affect population groups that face health risks or social inequities. Students were placed in the role of GIS analysts working within a geospatial data science team tasked with supporting a new funding initiative aimed at improving walkability for populations of concern. Each student was assigned a Census Division and identified a priority population based on vulnerability or equity considerations. Using spatial methods, students mapped where this population clusters and analysed where walkability resources are limited or insufficient. Lastly, students overlayed both outcomes to highlight neighbourhoods that should receive interventions that would improve walkability infrastructure.
Use the link below to browse projects from the Fall 2025 cohort.