The role of spatial analysis and geographic data in the detection of disease causation

Spatial analyses of disease patterns have been used by investigators as one tool with which to address problems of disease causation. However, while the results of spatial studies may be suggestive, they have been definitive only rarely. This is because there are numerous epistemological, logical and methodological problems which are encountered in spatial analysis. It is important to address these problems as one step in answering the basic issues concerning the role of spatial analysis in the detection of disease causation.