The generative revolution: AI foundation models in geospatial health—applications, challenges and future research

In an era of rapid technological advancements, generative artificial intelligence and foundation models are reshaping industries and offering new advanced solutions in a wide range of scientific areas, particularly in public and environmental health. However, foundation models have previously mostly focused on understanding and generating text, while geospatial features, interrelations, flows and correlations have been neglected. Thus, this paper outlines the importance of research into Geospatial Foundation Models, which have the potential to revolutionise digital health surveillance and public health. We examine the latest advances, opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations of geospatial foundation models for research and applications in digital health. We focus on the specific challenges of integrating geospatial context with foundation models and lay out the future potential for multimodal geospatial foundation models for a variety of research avenues in digital health surveillance and health assessment.