ABSTRACT
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The ability of epidemiology to determine the relationships between health and various risk factors, especially 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. Further, there is a need to utilize tools, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and other geospatial methods, which can integrate multilevel, spatial, and temporal factors and can help limit the potential for misclassification of exposure estimates. The multifactorial nature of disease and availability of geospatial tools encourage collaboration and creativity in the field of environmental epidemiology. The recent technology advances in smart phone and GIS utilization and the diffusion of innovation now offer unprecedented opportunities for applications in public health.
