Implementing Geographic Information Technologies Ethically

Spatial technologies are changing relations among citizens, between citizens and businesses, and between citizens and their governments. Profound implications regarding our relationships with each other are being raised by the expanding use of mobile, spatial, and context-aware technologies, the building of interoperable coordinated spatial data infrastructures and pervasive sensor-networks, the use of location as the foundation for many current and future business and scientific information systems, and the widespread enablement of individuals to gather their own spatial data, report it to others and generate their own spatial resources. How can we within the geospatial community better weave our way through the increasing global complexity and thereby better control our own destiny, benefit the marketplace, support government priorities, and better serve the needs of users generally? In this article I explore alternatives for envisioning relations among parties. In selecting among possible control mechanisms, I argue that morally defensible geospatial technology designs and information system implementations are far more likely to survive and thrive in the long-term both within the marketplace and within and across democratic societies than those designs and implementations that use only other controls as their touchstones in guiding relations. Several examples are cited. Striving hard to understand and serve what consumers and citizens actually want will result in the highest payoff for businesses, government agencies and society in general.