Geographic Information Systems

Code:

MSP12_30

Acronym:

MSP12_30

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Public Health

Instance: 2013/2014 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine and Public Health Department
Course/CS Responsible:	Master Degree Course in Public Health

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MSP	5	Master Degree Public Health - Official Plan12	1	-	3	27	81

Teaching language

English

Objectives

Acquire knowledge about basic concepts of spatial analusis of health events. Acquire knowledge about the importance of the geographic space to the understand of health events. Understand the contributions of geography in epidemiological studies. To know geographic information tecnologies. Acquire capacities to use the Geographical Information Systems GIS as tools to organize and analyse spatial data. Acquire knowledge about the processes of construction of spatial databases. Learn how to georeference health data. identify the main sources of cartographic, population, health and environmental data to use in GIS.

Learning outcomes and competences

The student will: acquire the skills to edit tables for use in GIS; georeference graphic and non-graphhic data; use maps in different coordinate systems; understand the concepts of coordinates, scale and projection of a map. Prepare disease maps. Manipulate several layers of information and perform overlay operations.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Use of space in health analysis. Basic concepts of cartography to use in GIS. Spatial data of health and environment. Georeferencing of health, population and environmental data. Agregate, environmental and global measurements. Quality of data. Geographic Information Systems – GIS. Types of Softwares. Steps to implement a GIS. Construction of indicators. Spatial analysis in GIS: overlay of layers, and generation of buffers. Main sources of national data. Construction of thematic maps.

Mandatory literature

Carvalho M, Pina MF, Santos S; Conceitos Básicos de Sistemas de Informação Geográfica aplicados à Saúde

Teaching methods and learning activities

A total of 108 hours of student’s work, of which 36 are of contact, distributed as follows is estimated:

A weekly theoretical session of 90 min (total: 9 sessions – 13.5h)
A theoretical-practical weekly session of 120 min (9 sessions total – 22.5h)

 

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	25,00
Trabalho escrito	75,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	70,00
Frequência das aulas	30,00
Total:	100,00

Calculation formula of final grade

Classification in the written work * 0,6 + practical exercises during the class * 0,4