Certificate course in
Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in disease control programmes
| Certification | Location | Start | Duration | EC | Tuition fee | Registration deadline | NFP registration deadline | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Netherlands | 18 Jun 2012 | 2 weeks | 3 | EUR 1480 | Registration is closed | 01 Oct 2011 | n.a. |
The International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Enschede and the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Amsterdam, The Netherlands, jointly organize this course bringing together expertise in geographic information systems and its application for disease control.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful tool for planning and assessment of health interventions and is increasingly recognized as an essential tool in disease control. GIS can effectively be applied to improve health care provision in disease control.
The course is an introduction into the use of GIS in disease control programmes and will provide knowledge and basic skills on how GIS can be used for disease control, focussing on the epidemiological assessment of disease burden and the improvement of programmatic planning and management.
Special attention will be given to the requirements for utilisation of GIS tools and how routine program data can be incorporated into the GIS system.
Throughout the course, case studies related to disease control are used. These case studies can be carried out on the participants own data as well. The GIS techniques taught in this course are directly applicable to the planning and monitoring of control of diseases such as TB, HIV and Leprosy.
For whom is the course relevant?
The course is open to professionals in the health sector and is targeted to program officers, data-managers working in disease control, researchers, and students in the field of public health or epidemiology. Although no prior GIS knowledge and/or skills are required, participation in this course requires good general computer skills.
What is the course content?
During the first week in Enschede, participants will be familiarized with key concepts and techniques in GIS with emphasis on developing basic software skills. Topics include the following themes:
- Data collection
- Data storage
- Exploring data
- Data analysis
- Visualisation
Important issues are the spatial and temporal characteristics of health data, basic database design, collection of spatial base data and visualisation.
The second week at KIT (Amsterdam) will provide the opportunity to apply and extend the GIS skills that have been learned in the first week. The course will address specific problems in the field of planning and evaluation of disease control programmes. Source data will be provided which allows the participants to work independently in small groups on case studies. The case studies are grouped among the following areas of application of GIS and disease control:
- Exploration of patterns of disease in space and time,
- Epidemiological assessment and analysis of patterns and risk factors of disease in time and place including risk mapping,
- Assessment of accessibility and availability to diagnostic and treatment centres,
- Visualizing Health Management Information, such as programme indicators, human resources, laboratory performance indicators - for monitoring and evaluation of programme performance.
The course will use ArcView/ArcGIS. Participants will obtain a one-year student license of ArcGIS (ArcView).
Learning method
Didactic methods include lectures, discussions and supervised practical exercises. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring digital data of their own study projects to the course. Before the start of the course participants have the possibility to submit a description of their own study objectives and study area, including a description of both health data and (spatial) base data.
In the second week, the participants will work individually or in groups on provided case studies relevant to disease control. During the case studies and supervised practicals participants have the opportunity to work on their own project. At the end of the course, participants will present their own work to their fellow students.
Admission criteria
The course is open to professionals in the health sector and is targeted to program officers, data-managers working in disease control, researchers, and students in the field of public health or epidemiology.
Proficiency in English is required. Prior exposure to GIS, including practical skills in GIS is not needed to follow this course. Computer literacy is a requirement.
Application procedure
For international participants (outside Europe) the application package is due 6 weeks before the start of the course. When interested, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible, because admission is closed when the maximum number of participants is reached.
Fees and costs
| Course fee, including materials | EUR | 1480 |
| Seven days accommodation in the ITC hotel, Enschede | EUR | 125 |
| Insurance | EUR | 50 |
Not included: Living allowances, local travel and the one week of accommodation in Amsterdam.
Candidates should have available sufficient funds for:
- Daily living costs (approximately 20 Euros per day for the two week duration of the course)
- Local transport between Amsterdam and Enschede return (approx 50 Euros)
- One week of accommodation in Amsterdam – room costs may vary between 30 and 120 Euros per day depending upon the hotel selected.
More information
Information can also be found at www.kit.nl, or email to Mirjam Bakker (m.bakker@kit.nl).