Spatial epidemiology is a new branch of epidemiology that aims to map the spatial distribution and characteristics as well as to explore the associated influencing factors of diseases by using the geographic information system and other spatial technologies. In recent years, with the rapid development of information-related modern technology, improvement of accessibility on health - related services, natural environment, social and economic big data etc., spatial epidemiology has made considerable progress in both theory and practice and played more important roles in the public health area of China.
空间流行病学是一门新兴的流行病学分支学科，旨在运用地理信息系统等空间信息技术发掘疾病位置信息和分布特征，评估特定区域人群发病的关键影响因素，为疾病预防控制工作提供策略支持。近年来，随着现代空间信息技术的快速发展，以及卫生健康、自然环境、社会经济生活等大数据的可获取性进一步提高，空间流行病学在学科理论和实践应用层面取得了长足进展，在我国公共卫生领域发挥了越来越重要的作用。.
Keywords: Disease control and prevention; Spatial analysis; Spatial epidemiology.