Balancing Innovation and Responsibility

From pigeon photography used to capture aerial photos of enemy territory, geospatial technology has advanced far beyond, harnessing the Internet of Things (IoT) to create geographic information systems (GIS). Using the latest solutions such as drones, surveying, mapping and other elements, geospatial technology has evolved to capture highly accurate information remotely and with automation. Explore the ethics of geospatial technology in more detail.

Geospatial Data Privacy Issues

With all the benefits that geospatial technology brings, there has to be responsible usage to protect vulnerable groups of people and our planet. The main concerns with geospatial technology involve:

1. Location Tracking and Surveillance

Location tracking is a powerful tool for gathering specific data to gain insights for your project. Geospatial technology allows for real-time tracking of individual movements of people. This can help us understand habits, which can be helpful in town planning, for example, by understanding how pedestrians and traffic interact to find ways to optimize infrastructure.

Users often encounter phone pop-ups asking for consent to track their location. This can enable innovative features, such as a quick action on your smartphone to open a specific parking app when you regularly use the same parking lot multiple times a week. At the same time, this data feeds back to various entities and third parties.

One issue that arises from the transfer of location data is leaks. Aggregating large quantities of personal data points in one place does pose the risk of the data falling into the wrong hands.

Another dilemma of location data is surveillance. Our personal devices can track us wherever we go, and even our homes may be visible on Google Earth. When data gathering becomes all-pervasive surveillance, it risks encroaching on our human right to privacy without interference. While personal location data is useful, it is also intimate and sometimes the people you monitor lack the capacity to protect themselves from harmful location data use.

2. Discrimination

Gathering geospatial data is one issue, but the analysis can also affect marginalized groups. Biased data can unfairly disadvantage these groups when analysing the results of such data to help in decision-making. Commonly, algorithms are used to process geospatial data, which can have an unconscious bias. This can further entrench inequality when this data skews funding decisions.

Revealing sensitive data about where a particular group of people gather could pose a security risk, which in turn could deter these people from getting together.

Geospatial data also has the power to help disadvantaged groups by gathering evidence of inequality and physical manifestations of discrimination. For example, geospatial technologies can use sensors to ensure equal distribution of aid, such as tents, in humanitarian crises.

3. Digital Equality

Geospatial technology is becoming more accessible. This is partly due to the development of programs like Google Earth, which can be viewed by anybody with an internet connection. By combining aerial photos, satellite images, topography, and other geographic data, these user-friendly programs can be used for geospatial analysis on a smaller scale.

There is still a geospatial divide at the national and regional levels. Developed countries tend to have deeper resources to use geospatial technology to their advantage, while developing countries lack the same access to technology and data.

Another element of digital equality is interoperability, which describes an open system where it's possible to pass on, map, and view geospatial data between different GIS software. Often, geospatial technology lacks the ease of mixing and matching between GIS. Instead, a process called translation has to occur, which is time-consuming and risks data loss.

4. Environmental Impact

While geospatial data can be energy-intensive to store and process, especially when using artificial intelligence, it is ultimately a great tool for tackling environmental issues from water conservation to preparing and reducing the impact of climate emergencies.

Mapping and GIS can be used in animal and plant conservation to monitor and protect rare species. Studying their movement patterns allows scientists to better understand them and develop strategies to help them. Handling this data securely is essential for protecting endangered species — making tracking data public regarding some rare animals, such as rhinos, could lead to harassment from safaris or even the poaching of these animals.

Best Practices for Using Ethical Geospatial Technology

Using geospatial technology ethically can enhance its benefits and mitigate its risks. Here are a few guidelines:

Be transparent: When collecting, using, or sharing data, ensure transparency.
Get consent: Geospatial data is more ethical when people can opt in or out of your data collection.
Use oversight bodies: Review the Federal Geographic Data Committee standards for guidance.
Comply with laws: Ensure that any data collection or processing complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other relevant laws.
Focus on the good: Consider how you can best use geospatial data for the public good, thinking about how it can benefit people in the most useful way.
Collect the essentials: Most businesses only need to collect specific geospatial data to carry out services. Being more specific reduces the risk of data gathering becoming too invasive.
Anonymize data: There is a balance to strike when anonymizing data because removing all risk means removing the whole original data. The key is to de-identify people while preserving the usefulness of the data.
Combat bias: Finding ways to identify and manage bias in datasets means the results you draw from the data are as authoritative and accurate as possible.
Prioritize accuracy: Using state-of-the-art equipment ensures you can gather the most accurate data possible, giving you a more reflective overview of the problem you're solving.

Work With Duncan-Parnell for Trusted Geospatial Data Solutions

Geospatial data is a powerful tool, and when used ethically, it can help improve lives. Accurate, authoritative data can give your organization the invaluable insight it needs to help communities. The risks of geospatial technology, from invasive data collection to data leaks, can be mitigated by carefully following proper procedures for the responsible use of geospatial data. As this technology continues to grow and improve, the more we can refer back to the basic principles of using geospatial data for good, in a consensual, transparent way.

At Duncan-Parnell, we have over 75 years of experience, and as an independent, family-owned business, we relish the opportunity to form long-term partnerships by providing you with excellent service and solutions.

As a full-service Trimble Geospatial dealer, we are your field-to-finish partner, providing equipment rental, servicing, field supplies, and training. Contact us today to discover how we can help you with ethical geospatial data solutions.