Geographic information science and the analysis of place and health

Abstract

The representation of place is a key theoretical advancement that Geographic Information Science can offer to improve the understanding of environmental determinants of health, but developing robust computational representations of place requires a substantial departure from conventional notions of geographic representation in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Unlike conventional GIS representations based on either objects or locations, we suggest place representation should incorporate dynamic subjective, experiential, and relational aspects of place, as the influence of place on health behavior concerns not only the features that can be objectively observed at a particular location but also the environmental perceptions of the individual, as molded by biological, social, and experiential characteristics. In addition, assessments of environmental exposures on health outcomes should focus on individuals’ time-activity patterns and microenvironment profiles, which form a potentially unique personalized exposure environment for each individual. Addressing these representational challenges via collaborative research has the potential to advance both Geographic Information Science and health research.

Returning to our roots: The use of geospatial data for nurse‐led community research

“…Sadler, Clark, Wilk, O'Connor, and Gilliland () used activity trackers to connect adolescents’ food environment exposures with their junk food purchasing habits. Researchers are also beginning to use georeferenced social media data, including text and photos, to assess subjective experiences of particular places (Mennis & Yoo, ; Nguyen et al, ).…”

“…Researchers are also beginning to use georeferenced social media data, including text and photos, to assess subjective experiences of particular places (Mennis & Yoo, 2018;Nguyen et al, 2016). Geospatial data come in various formats (i.e., vector and raster).…”

“…The use of a strong theoretical model assists the researcher in developing testable hypotheses regarding the relationships between specific social determinants and health outcomes (Diez Roux & Mair, ). Emphasis should be placed on strategizing the appropriate representation of space and time for data collection and analysis, as these elements will affect the interpretation of findings (Mennis & Yoo, ).…”

A Recursive Definition of Goodness of Space for Bridging the Concepts of Space and Place for Sustainability

“…This human experienced sense of space has another name called place in the literature (e.g. Tuan 1977, Goodchild and Li 2011, Mennis and Yoo 2018; see a further discussion in Section 5. The notion of space, in the context of this paper, refers not only to largescale spaces such as countries, cities, campus and buildings, but also small-scale spaces such as ornaments, artifacts, and simple shapes.…”

Geographic Imputation of Missing Activity Space Data from Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) GPS Positions

“…The role of space and place in shaping health has received increasing attention in the health and medical research community [1,2,3]. Researchers have argued, however, that investigating the influence of place on health should focus not simply on an individual’s residential neighborhood, but on the environmental exposures that occur throughout an individual’s activity space [4,5,6]—the routine locations an individual visits throughout his or her daily life, such as places of work or school, recreation and leisure, social interaction with friends and family, and so on [7]. Activity space is recognized as a key construct in investigations of substance use, physical activity, stress, healthy eating, exposure to air pollution, and other place-related health outcomes [8,9,10,11,12].…”