Geographical information systems and tropical medicine.

Khan, O A; Davenhall, W; Ali, M; Castillo-Salgado, C; Vazquez-Prokopec, G; Kitron, U; Soares Magalhães, R J; Clements, A C A

In terms of their applicability to the field of tropical medicine, geographical information systems (GIS) have developed enormously in the last two decades. This article reviews some of the pertinent and representative applications of GIS, including the use of such systems and remote sensing for the mapping of Chagas disease and human helminthiases, the use of GIS in vaccine trials, and the global applications of GIS for health-information management, disease epidemiology, and pandemic planning. The future use of GIS as a decision-making tool and some barriers to the widespread implementation of such systems in developing settings are also discussed.