Ethics in the use of geospatial information in the Americas

Abstract

During the last decade, the use of geospatial information in decision-making has reached an especially important role, which is why its production has increased considerably. The particularities that individual geospatial information presents with respect to other types of personal information, such as the linking of sensitive information, has begun to generate concerns regarding the privacy of information and individual surveillance, being increasingly difficult to guarantee and ensure its protection, while other ethical problems and risks related to its use arise. For this reason, the development and implementation of principles and guidelines of conduct has become an increasingly necessary component to address the ethical challenges associated with the use of geospatial information, in order to achieve a greater perception of its benefits and less perception of their risks. However, at present, there is no common set of global ethical principles to guide their responsible use. Therefore, to achieve this, it is important to know the advances at the global and regional level in the generation and implementation of principles and guidelines related to the ethical use of geospatial in various cultural and political contexts. In this way, this article aims to present, for the first time, the methodology developed, and the results obtained for the evaluation of the current state of the design and implementation of strategies aimed at achieving the ethical use of geospatial information in the region of the Americas. The results indicate that there is a need to strengthen the issue of the ethical use of geospatial data in the region, since, although it is beginning to be included in the government agenda, there is still little awareness among generators and users of geospatial information about the risks and consequences of its misuse.