GIS Data and Visualizations: Research Issues, Privacy, and Ethical Considerations

• In Event: Privacy and Ethics in Cyberspace: Co-Sponsored with the AERA Ethics Committee

Abstract

This presentation begins with a quick overview of the types of GIS applications that are freely available online. Following is a discussion of some important research issues that are unique to GIS such as selecting and defining the modifiable areal unit and addressing spatial autocorrelation in the analysis of geographic entities. Several ethical considerations about GIS data use and the presentation of GIS research are highlighted. Finally, key privacy issues in GIS technologies are described that relate to the potential identification of individuals or groups if their location is mapped online.

Author

• Mark Hogrebe, Washington University in St. Louis