Medical Center Suitability Mapping Using GIS and GEE

What you'll learn
Understand core GIS and remote sensing concepts to analyze spatial data, including raster and vector formats, imagery interpretation, and geospatial tools.
Perform suitability mapping using multi-criteria analysis like slope, roads, land cover, and population to find ideal sites for medical centers.
Learn GEE for spatial modeling: access datasets, process imagery, apply formulas, and create automated, cloud-based suitability models.
Visualize and export suitability maps with color-coded layers, and export GeoTIFFs for reports, GIS software, or stakeholder presentations.
Requirements
No prior experience with Google Earth Engine is required - the course will guide you step-by-step.
Description
Identifying optimal sites for medical centers is a critical task that ensures healthcare accessibility, equity, and emergency readiness. In this course, you'll explore how to use Remote Sensing, GIS, and Google Earth Engine (GEE) to build a spatial model for Medical Center Suitability Analysis.The course begins with the fundamentals of remote sensing, teaching how satellite imagery is captured, processed, and applied to land use analysis. You'll also explore GIS concepts, including spatial layers, vector and raster data, and map algebra.Next, you'll learn the core principles of site suitability analysis, including how to select criteria (like road proximity, terrain slope, population density, and land cover) and assign appropriate weights. These theoretical concepts are then brought to life using GEE, where you'll access satellite datasets, perform distance transforms, normalize variables, and calculate a composite suitability index.Through a hands-on lab focusing on Los Angeles, you'll develop a fully functional suitability model for locating medical centers. You'll also learn to visualize results, export GeoTIFFs, and interpret outcomes for real-world planning.This course is ideal for:Urban planners and public health analystsGIS students and professionalsEnvironmental and civil engineersPolicy makers and researchersBy course end, you'll have the tools to conduct suitability mapping projects for healthcare, disaster response, education, or other infrastructure using open-source geospatial platforms.Let me know if you want the lecture titles, learning outcomes, or a step-by-step GEE script explanation next!
Who this course is for
Students, researchers and professionals in agriculture, environmental science, geography, or remote sensing looking to apply satellite data in real-world scenarios.
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