Ethics in geospatial data use
The Locus Charter
Learn about the Charter, the Society's support for ethical practice in location data, and our collection of resources.
Launching the Locus Charter
Read about the launch of the Locus Charter, promoting the ethical and responsible use of location data around the world.
Society supports responsible practice when using location data
Read about our commitment to the Locus Charter, also announced by Ethical Geo.
Location data and ethics
Browse our collection of resources and key readings to support the consideration of ethical issues in location data and GIS.
Webinars and blogs
The Society and the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) held a series of webinars exploring the principles of the Locus Charter and topics around the ethics of collecting and using location data. Watch recordings of our expert panel sessions below, and read the follow-up blogs unpacking the discussion from each session.
Take my word for it: communication, transparency and creating trust in communication
Notoriously, many consumer digital services rely on user agreements that hardly anyone reads. Many consumers are unsure of how much they can trust a service, and use it anyway.
A right to be lost: bias, anonymity, privacy
It is increasingly hard to avoid being mapped digitally in one way or another. How do you decide what is fair and reasonable, and what goes too far?
Where’s the harm? Geospatial data ethics in practice
Earlier this year, the Locus Charter was launched, proposing a set of shared international principles to support responsible practice with location data. But how do you put ethics into practice in your day-to-day work?
Discussion and impact
Read more from geographers and stakeholders on the Locus Charter and the ethics of location data use.
Responsible and ethical use of location data with Doug Specht
How location data can be used more responsibly and ethically.
Locus Charter team wins Geography in Government Award
The Geovation/Ordnance Survey team behind the Benchmark Programme and Locus Charter were recognised for policy impact at the 2021 GiG Awards.
Geospatial data in a world of generative AI
The ODI brought together senior industry stakeholders from big tech, national mapping agencies, academia, industry bodies, other non-profits and beyond to discuss the future of geospatial data in a world with generative AI.