Spatial epidemiology is increasingly being used to assess health risks associated with environmental
hazards. Risk patterns tend to have both a temporal and a spatial component; thus, spatial epidemiology
must combine methods from epidemiology, statistics, and geographic information
science. Recent statistical advances in spatial epidemiology include the use of smoothing in risk
maps to create an interpretable risk surface, the extension of spatial models to incorporate the time
dimension, and the combination of individual- and area-level information. Advances in geographic
information systems and the growing availability of modeling packages have led to an improvement
in exposure assessment. Techniques drawn from geographic information science are being
developed to enable the visualization of uncertainty and ensure more meaningful inferences are
made from data. When public health concerns related to the environment arise, it is essential to
address such anxieties appropriately and in a timely manner. Tools designed to facilitate the investigation
process are being developed, although the availability of complete and clean health data,
and appropriate exposure data often remain limiting factors. Key words: disease mapping, environmental
epidemiology, geographic information systems (GIS), risk analysis, spatial epidemiology,
uncertainty