Training on GIS Disease Surveillance Monitoring

Module 1: Introduction to GIS in Public Health

• Basics of GIS and spatial data
• Importance of GIS in disease surveillance
• Overview of GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Pro)
• Practical Exercise: Installing and navigating GIS software
• Case Study: Use of GIS in tracking COVID-19 spread

Module 2: Data Collection and Management

• Sources of spatial data (census, satellite imagery, health records)
• Mobile data collection tools (ODK, KoboToolbox)
• Data cleaning and geocoding practices
• Practical Exercise: Importing and cleaning patient location data
• Case Study: GIS-supported field data collection during a cholera outbreak

Module 3: Mapping Disease Distribution

• Creating thematic disease maps
• Visualizing incidence and prevalence
• Map classification methods
• Practical Exercise: Create a disease hotspot map using GIS software
• Case Study: Mapping malaria incidence in rural communities

Module 4: Spatial Analysis Techniques

• Spatial autocorrelation and clustering
• Hotspot detection using spatial tools
• Kernel density estimation
• Practical Exercise: Conduct hotspot analysis using disease case data
• Case Study: Identifying tuberculosis hotspots in urban locations

Module 5: Environmental and Socioeconomic Factors

• Impact of environmental conditions on disease spread
• Socioeconomic determinants of health
• Integration of multi-layer data analysis
• Practical Exercise:​​​​​​​ Overlaying environmental and disease data
• Case Study: Assessing drought conditions in relation to cholera outbreaks

Module 6: Risk Assessment and Modeling

• Development of risk maps
• GIS-based disease modeling techniques
• Predictive analysis for disease outbreaks
• Practical Exercise:​​​​​​​ Building a predictive model using GIS
• Case Study: Risk mapping for dengue fever

Module 7: Public Health Applications and Decision-Making

• GIS use in emergency response and disaster planning
• Applying spatial analytics in outbreak containment
• GIS for policy formulation and intervention planning
• Practical Exercise:Design an emergency response map
• Case Study: Use of GIS in Ebola outbreak preparedness and response

Module 8: Communicating Results

• Preparing effective maps and visual reports
• GIS output integration in reports and presentations
• Best practices for data sharing with stakeholders
• Practical Exercise:​​​​​​​ Creating maps and presentation-ready visuals
• Case Study: Visualization of COVID-19 health data using dashboards

Module 9: GIS Project Workshop

Group-based geospatial health project

• Data collection, analysis, mapping, and reporting
  Practical Exercise:​​​​​​​ Team project development
  Case Study Options:

  • Malaria outbreak analysis

  • Cholera in flood-prone areas

  • Influenza clustering in urban populations

Module 10: Final Presentation and Evaluation

• Final project presentations
• Peer review and expert evaluation
• Demonstration of practical GIS skills
• Course summary and improvement recommendations
• Practical: Submission of final GIS analysis report
• Case Study: Review of global GIS public health applications