Applications of geographic information systems and geo-spatial modeling in environmental epidemiology

The ability of environmental epidemiology to determine the relationships between health and environmental insults has become exceedingly difficult. The multifactorial nature of disease and the diversity of the insults, which include biologic, physical, social and cultural factors, combined with genetic susceptibility, suggest the need to incorporate comprehensive perspectives of multidisciplinary epidemiologic investigation; utilize tools, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and other geospatial methods, which can integrate multi-level, spatial, and temporal factors and can help limit the potential for misclassification of exposure estimates; and to encourage collaborations and creativity in the field of environmental epidemiology. Examples of applications in cancer epidemiology will be presented. Statistical challenges to linking spatial pattern of cancer to radiation exposure will be discussed.