About this Research Topic
Location plays an important role in human health, as where we live, work, and spend our time is associated with different exposures that may influence the risk of developing disease. These exposures include features of our environment such as ambient exposures to air pollutants, drinking water contaminants, (artificial) light exposure, agricultural exposures (e.g., pesticides, animals), climatic factors, greenspace, and the built environment.
Geospatial science includes methods and tools (e.g., geographic information systems or GIS) that enable the processing, analysis, modeling, and visualization of information according to their locations. To understand how the physical environment may impact health, geospatial science methods have been integrated into epidemiologic studies to investigate research questions that include characterizing environmental exposures, examining social determinants of health, and investigating environmental exposure-disease relationships. Geospatial science in epidemiologic research spans many different applications, including studies conducting data linkages to advanced statistical methods.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the history, diversity, and advances in the use of geospatial science in epidemiologic research. Submissions will provide an overview of current methods and applications and showcase future avenues for interdisciplinary research.
In this Research Topic, we encourage submissions of Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Methods, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, or Brief Research Reports. Submissions will examine a variety of topics including but not limited to applications of geospatial science in epidemiologic studies, visualization of spatial patterns in disease and/or risk factors, environmental exposure modeling, geospatial-based data linkages, and epidemiologic studies integrating geospatial data/methods with wearable sensors and/or omics and other biomarkers.
Geospatial science includes methods and tools (e.g., geographic information systems or GIS) that enable the processing, analysis, modeling, and visualization of information according to their locations. To understand how the physical environment may impact health, geospatial science methods have been integrated into epidemiologic studies to investigate research questions that include characterizing environmental exposures, examining social determinants of health, and investigating environmental exposure-disease relationships. Geospatial science in epidemiologic research spans many different applications, including studies conducting data linkages to advanced statistical methods.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the history, diversity, and advances in the use of geospatial science in epidemiologic research. Submissions will provide an overview of current methods and applications and showcase future avenues for interdisciplinary research.
In this Research Topic, we encourage submissions of Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Methods, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, or Brief Research Reports. Submissions will examine a variety of topics including but not limited to applications of geospatial science in epidemiologic studies, visualization of spatial patterns in disease and/or risk factors, environmental exposure modeling, geospatial-based data linkages, and epidemiologic studies integrating geospatial data/methods with wearable sensors and/or omics and other biomarkers.
Keywords: Epidemiology; Geospatial Science; Location; Environment; GIS; Social Determinants of Health
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
