Geospatial Technologies for Urban Health

This volume presents a timely collection of research papers on the progress, opportunities, and challenges related to the advancement of geospatial technologies for applications in urban health research and management. The chapter authors cover technologies ranging from traditional GIS and remote sensing technologies, to recently developed tracking/locational technologies and volunteered geographic information (VGI). In four main sections, the book uniquely contributes to the conversation of how geospatial technologies and other GIScience research may be enhanced by addressing the data and challenges presented by urban health issues. The book is intended for those with backgrounds in health and medical geography, social epidemiology, urban planning, health management, and lifestyle research.The book starts with an introduction by the editors, providing an overview of traditional and emerging geospatial technologies and how they each can significantly contribute to urban health studies. Section 1 covers urban health risk and disease, and analyses the spatial and temporal patterns of selected urban health issues. Section 2 addresses urban health service access, and demonstrates how traditional and new geospatial technologies apply to different segments of urban populations facing varied challenges. Section 3 focuses on incorporating geospatial technologies in promoting healthy behaviours and lifestyles in urban settings. Section 4 assesses how geospatial technologies may be incorporated into urban health policies and management practices. Adopting a forward-looking perspective, these papers examine the various health challenges in urban systems, and explore how new and emerging geospatial technologies will need to develop to address these problems. 

Dr. Yongmei Lu is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. She earned her Masters degree in Geography at Peking University, Beijing in 1994, and her PhD in Geography at SUNY Buffalo in 2001. She has co-edited 1 book volume, 1 journal special issue, and has co-written over 40 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Her research interests include GIScience, urban and regional analysis, health and medical geography, and crime geography.  Dr. Eric Delmelle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography & Earth Sciences at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his M.A. in Geography at SUNY Buffalo in 2001, his M.S. in Industrial Engineering at SUNY Buffalo in 2004, and his PhD in Geography at SUNY Buffalo in 2005. He has co-edited 1 book volume, co-written over 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 15 articles in edited books and conference proceedings, and has participated in over 80 conference proceedings and invited talks. His teaching and research interests include spatial optimization, GIS, geovisualization, epidemiology, uncertainty, and spatial analysis and modeling.