Mapping a Healthier Future: How GIS Transforms Global Health
Mathew’s Journey from KIT to Kerala
How can geography, environment and data improve public health? Mathew’s work in Kerala, India shows how spatial epidemiology can strengthen disease-control strategies.
When medical doctor Mathew J. Valamparampil joined a GIS short course at KIT Institute in 2022, he wanted to understand how geography, environment, and data could come together to improve public health strategies. The course he attended, then called Using GIS for Public Health and now known as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Public Health and Epidemiology, marked a turning point in how he viewed epidemiology.
Today, Mathew is completing his PhD in spatial epidemiology with the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, India, where he applied GIS methods to strengthen tuberculosis (TB) control programmes.
“ The KIT course opened up a new dimension for me,” he says, describing its impact on his work with Kerala’s Department of Health Services. “It changed how I look at data, and how I plan health interventions. ” ”
What Is GIS and Why It Matters in Global Health
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are tools that allow users to visualise, analyse and interpret data with a spatial or geographic component. In public health, GIS can reveal patterns in disease occurrence, environmental exposure, and access to care that might otherwise remain hidden.
By combining spatial and epidemiological data, GIS helps identify disease hotspots, analyse environmental determinants, and support targeted and cost-effective interventions.
Diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, dengue and cholera often have strong environmental drivers, and GIS enables professionals to map these relationships and use the information for policy and programme design.
At KIT’s Centre for Applied Spatial Epidemiology (CASE), researchers and health professionals use GIS to integrate geographic data into health systems and disease control programmes, providing tools and methods that improve decision-making at local, national and global levels.
Incorporating environment into epidemiology
Mathew’s approach to epidemiology changed significantly after learning about GIS. “In epidemiology, everyone talks about the agent and the host. But we often overlook the environment, especially in our part of the world,” he explains.
For Mathew, geography provides the third pillar of the epidemiological triad. In countries like India, environmental and social factors, such as housing, water, sanitation, climate, and pollution—still strongly determine the likelihood and severity of disease outbreaks.
“Our part of the world, South Asia, is troubled by many diseases that have an environmental component, like dengue fever. But this is very rarely considered in health research and policies,” he adds.
By bringing environment and geography into focus, GIS enables a more comprehensive understanding of disease dynamics and supports more effective public health strategies.
Learning GIS at KIT: From Classroom to Field
When looking to expand his skills, Mathew found that KIT’s two-week GIS for Public Health course offered the right balance of theory and practice.
The programme is designed to provide a strong foundation in spatial thinking and practical GIS applications, suitable both for beginners and working professionals with limited time.
“I thought two weeks would be too short, but it was actually ideal,” he recalls. “We worked with real data and real challenges in global health.”
One aspect that stood out for Mathew was the personalised guidance from KIT lecturers.
“The professor spent over an hour with me reviewing my project plans for Kerala. That guidance helped shape my protocol and gave me a level of clarity I didn’t have before.”
The course also emphasized practical application, using real health data and addressing challenges where geo-coded data may be limited. Participants learned how to work with and analyse spatial data to answer real-world public health questions.
“What stood out most was how practical it was,” Mathew says. “I could immediately apply what I learned when I returned to my work.”
After completing the course, Mathew further advanced his GIS expertise through a fellowship by the Indian Council of Medical Research in collaboration with the University of Canberra. As GIS analyst, he now advocates integrating spatial approaches into Kerala’s public health strategies for various disease control activities.
Applying GIS to TB in Kerala—and Beyond
Kerala’s robust TB surveillance system provided an opportunity to demonstrate how spatial analysis can support disease control efforts. By mapping where TB cases occur and overlaying that information with local data on housing, environment and population density, Mathew’s team can identify areas at higher risk of transmission.
“GIS helps improve strategies for finding people with TB,” he explains. “It directs efforts to regions with higher risk, and that saves both time and resources.”
Insights from Kerala can also inform approaches in other parts of India. With its large population and diverse settings, the ability to prioritise high-risk areas is essential for the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme under Government of India. GIS can play an important role in making active case-finding more efficient and targeted.
Beyond TB: Broader Applications of GIS in Health
Although Mathew’s focus was on tuberculosis, he sees broad potential for GIS in global health. Though mostly used for infectious diseases like TB, malaria, dengue and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), GIS is increasingly relevant for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well. Mapping environmental exposures, such as air pollution, urban density or access to care, can help explain patterns of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
“GIS gives a spatial perspective to public health problems that we often treat as purely biological,” he says. “It’s a way to make our interventions more targeted and more equitable.”
By combining spatial data with health surveillance, GIS supports evidence-based policy and contributes to more effective and equitable health programmes. This aligns with KIT’s wider work in global health and epidemiology, where spatial analysis is increasingly essential to understanding and addressing health inequities worldwide.
Learning for Impact
“Geography is always going to come into the picture,” Mathew reflects.
“Investing in GIS will help contribute more meaningfully to public health—and to society.”
Whether you are an epidemiologist, policymaker, or healthcare worker, learning GIS can help you see health challenges through a new lens and act where it matters most.
Short Course: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Public Health and Epidemiology
Next start date: 15 April – 1 May 2026 (3 EC)
2-week course at KIT Institute, Amsterdam
Early bird fee available
