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Ideal Workplace Solutions
NITA AccreditedIntermediatePhysical + Virtual10 daysTOGI261

Training on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Public Health and Epidemiology

Strengthen your epidemiology expertise. This course provides the skills to use GIS for spatial analysis and informing public health policy.

Next intake

20 Jul 2026 · Nakuru

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Duration

10 days

Live instruction

Delivery

Physical + Virtual

Cohort based

Level

Intermediate

Working professionals

Certification

NITA reimbursable

For Kenyan cohorts

Language

English

All materials

Overview

About this programme

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are powerful tools for analyzing, visualizing, and managing health-related data. In public health and epidemiology, GIS helps professionals identify disease patterns, track outbreaks, map health service accessibility, and support evidence-based decision-making.

This training provides participants with both the conceptual understanding and practical skills to apply GIS in health research, planning, and disease surveillance. Through a blend of hands-on exercises, case studies, and real-world applications, participants will learn how to collect spatial data, build maps, analyze spatial relationships, and use GIS to design interventions that improve health outcomes.

Duration 

10 Days

Who Should Attend

  • Public health professionals and epidemiologists

  • Health program managers and planners

  • Researchers and data analysts in health and development sectors

  • Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) specialists

  • Policy makers and government health officers

  • NGOs and international organizations working on health projects

Learning outcomes

What you'll walk away with

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the role of GIS in public health and epidemiology.

  • Collect, manage, and analyze spatial health data.

  • Create maps to visualize disease distribution and health services.

  • Apply spatial analysis to track outbreaks and assess risk factors.

  • Integrate GIS into health program planning, monitoring, and evaluation.

  • Communicate findings effectively through spatial reports and dashboards.

Course modules

What we cover, module by module

Module 1: Introduction to GIS and Public Health

  • Key GIS concepts and applications in health

  • The role of spatial thinking in epidemiology

  • Case Study: WHO’s use of GIS in mapping malaria prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Module 2: Fundamentals of Spatial Data

  • Types and sources of spatial data (raster, vector, GPS, surveys)

  • Coordinate systems and projections

  • Collecting and cleaning health-related spatial data

  • Case Study: Using satellite imagery to track environmental risk factors for dengue

Module 3: GIS Software Tools and Basics

  • Overview of ArcGIS, QGIS, and open-source tools

  • Importing and managing health data

  • Practical exercise: Creating a base map of health facilities

Module 4: Mapping and Visualization Techniques

  • Principles of effective health map design

  • Symbolization, labeling, and thematic mapping

  • Practical exercise: Mapping child immunization coverage

  • Case Study: Polio eradication campaigns supported by GIS mapping in Nigeria

Module 5: Spatial Analysis for Epidemiology

  • Disease hotspot and cluster detection

  • Proximity analysis for health services

  • Case Study: Cholera outbreak mapping and containment in Haiti

  • Exercise: Identifying clusters in a simulated outbreak dataset

Module 6: GIS in Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Response

  • Linking GIS with surveillance systems

  • Real-time disease mapping and dashboards

  • Case Study: GIS role in the COVID-19 Johns Hopkins global dashboard

  • Exercise: Mapping an epidemic curve spatially

Module 7: Health Services Accessibility and Resource Allocation

  • Mapping service coverage and underserved areas

  • Travel time analysis for accessing care

  • Case Study: Ebola treatment center placement in Sierra Leone and Liberia

  • Simulation: Allocating resources during a regional outbreak

Module 8: Integrating GIS with Public Health Data Systems

  • Combining GIS with survey and census data

  • Linking GIS with monitoring and evaluation frameworks

  • Exercise: Building an integrated health indicator map

  • Case Study: UNICEF’s use of GIS to monitor maternal and child health in East Africa

Module 9: Communicating Results with GIS

  • Turning maps into actionable information for decision-makers

  • Dashboards, reports, and advocacy tools

  • Group exercise: Preparing a GIS-based policy brief

  • Case Study: Using GIS maps for HIV/AIDS program advocacy in South Africa

Module 10: Capstone Project and Action Planning

  • Participants design a GIS-based health project from data collection to reporting

  • Presentations of projects with peer and facilitator feedback

  • Developing individual action plans for applying GIS in participants’ organizations

  • Case Study: Integrating GIS into a malaria elimination strategy in Zanzibar

Impact

Where the change lands

Organizational Impact

  • Stronger capacity to track, monitor, and respond to disease outbreaks

  • Improved planning and allocation of health resources and services

  • Enhanced ability to demonstrate impact through spatial data visualization

  • Evidence-based decision-making in health policy and programming

Individual Impact

  • Practical skills in GIS tools for public health and epidemiology

  • Improved ability to interpret spatial data for health planning

  • Stronger analytical capacity in disease mapping and outbreak response

  • Increased professional competitiveness in health and development fields

Dates and locations

Upcoming intakes

Every intake is limited to a small cohort. Booking closes when a date fills or three weeks before the start, whichever comes first.

Full calendar
FAQs

Common questions.

Still not sure? Send us a note and a facilitator will get back to you within a business day.

To provide you with the essential skills to use GIS to visualize, analyze, and map health data, enabling you to better understand and respond to public health challenges.

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For corporate teams

Training 10+ professionals?

We deliver Training on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Public Health and Epidemiology in-house at your offices, at a venue we arrange, or fully virtual. Customise the curriculum against your KPIs, and get a bespoke price for the cohort size you need.

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