At its heart, public health research is an applied science, with social justice through health and healthy environments as one of its key goals (McKinnon et al. 2012, Lee et al. 2012). Currently, Fogarty International Center describes its vision as “a world in which the frontiers of health research extend across the globe and advances in science are implemented to reduce the burden of disease, promote health, and extend longevity for all people.” (http://www.fic.nih.gov/). Strengthening international geospatial health research is a logical element of such a vision, and given the negative trends in diet, weight, and physical activity across the globe, a focus on energy balance appears timely. Comparative studies can strengthen causal inference (Kerr et al. 2013b) and transdisciplinary teams can improve scientific productivity (Hall et al. 2012). Of course, it is hoped that fostering international collaboration will accelerate scientific discovery, but it remains to be seen whether this will occur. This paper has emphasized the need for conceptual clarity, valid and harmonized data, and better study designs in order to better understand causal pathways and to improve evaluation of interventions. These factors are always desirable in health research, but geospatial research on energy balance is ripe for progress on all of these fronts. Continued international collaboration between health and geospatial researchers should help accelerate this progress.