ABSTRACT

Spatial analysis and mapping in environmental health have a long history. It is now traditional to trace their origin back at least as far as the seminal study of John Snow on cholera in London (Snow, 1855). Until recently, they could only be carried out manually, or using relatively simple mapping packages. Over the last ten years, however, the capability for spatial data manipulation has been revolutionised by the development of GIS. These systems have made mapping and many spatial analytical techniques much more readily available and enabled data visualisation in map form. They have also stimulated a wide range of new research initiatives into spatial operations and concepts which have greatly advanced understanding of how to analyse and interpret spatial phenomena.