Leveraging geographic information system for dengue surveillance: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Vector-borne diseases caused by Aedes mosquitoes remain a major public health concern across tropical and subtropical regions. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become integral in surveillance by enabling spatial analysis, risk mapping, and predictive modelling. This scoping review explores how GIS has been applied in surveillance studies and identifies its potential applications, key variables, modelling approaches, and challenges.

Methods: This scoping review was conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines and was structured using a search strategy to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2024 across databases like PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. A total of 64 studies were selected and charted based on geographic focus, GIS applications, modelling techniques, spatial methods, and key variables.

Results: A notable concentration of studies was found in South and Southeast Asia, reflecting the high disease burden and research activity in these regions. ArcGIS and QGIS were the most frequently used platforms in dengue surveillance around the globe. Risk mapping and hotspot detection were the most frequent targeted applications (n = 26), followed by vector control and monitoring (n = 23). Environmental and climatic variables were commonly analysed, including temperature, rainfall, humidity, and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index. Common analytical methods included regression-based spatial models and, increasingly, machine learning techniques along with GIS. Emerging trends include integrating machine learning models, remote sensing data, and mobile GIS for real-time monitoring and early warning systems.

Conclusions: GIS has evolved from a mapping tool into a multidimensional decision-support system in disease surveillance. Its integration with environmental, climatic, and demographic data enables proactive outbreak management and targeted interventions. Future research should leverage Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, participatory GIS, and interdisciplinary data to enhance surveillance prediction and public health response. Strengthening collaborative data-sharing frameworks and incorporating machine-learning approaches could further improve the effectiveness of GIS-driven surveillance programs.

Keywords: Dengue; Disease surveillance; Geographic information systems; Public health; Spatial analysis; Vector-borne diseases.

Fig. 1

PRISMA flow diagram

Fig. 2

Word cloud

Fig. 3

A Geographic distribution of GIS-based dengue surveillance studies. B Geographic distribution of GIS-based dengue surveillance studies

Fig. 4

Yearwise trend of studies

Fig. 5

Taxonomy chart for GIS methods and applications in dengue surveillance

Fig. 6

A Multifocal applications of GIS-based dengue surveillance studies. B GIS-based potential applications in dengue surveillance

Fig. 7

Study variables

Fig. 8

Modelling techniques used in studies for GIS-based dengue surveillance