Upcoming webinar in the GeoEthics Series

Dear all,

Registrations are open for upcoming webinars in our GeoEthics Series 
<https://aag-geoethics-series.secure-platform.com/>. As a member of the 
audience, your engagements will be key to advance these conversations 
forward, whether you are a part of the academy, whether you are a 
practitioner, or representing the broader public. We hope to see your 
participation again in these conversations!

*Responsible Use of Spatial Data*
*Date and Time*: Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 1:30 - 3:30 pm U.S. Pacific Time
*How to attend*: You will need a completed registration to attend this 
webinar. Navigate to the webinar page 
<https://aag-geoethics-series.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/10/sessiongallery/202> 
to register and find more details about the speakers.

*Abstract*:

Today spatial data is omnipresent in decision making, be it about local 
policing practices, mitigation of global climate change, or fighting 
COVID-19. The collection, integration, and AI-based analytics of these 
data is distributed across hundreds of players with their own 
technologies and interests and, thus is not transparent to any 
individual party regardless of whether it is an individual person or a 
government agency. As the resulting use of potentially personal data is 
becoming commonplace, it is urgent to internalize shared principles for 
the responsible use of spatial data to achieve greater common value and 
better products and at the same time guarantee the safety and privacy of 
people, our social values, and human dignity. Too often, data ethics is 
presented as a solution to avoid the unacceptable consequences of data 
misuse. The objective of this Webinar is to showcase that this 
conversation is not only necessary out of fear of misuse, but to unlock 
the full potential of spatial data. Users will contribute their location 
data only if they trust the collection systems that will be drawing 
inferences from them. These data may, in fact, improve the well-being 
and sustainability of our societies.

*W3C Interest Group Note (Jan 2021) on "The Responsible Use of Spatial 
Data"* https://www.w3.org/TR/responsible-use-spatial/ 
<https://www.w3.org/TR/responsible-use-spatial/>

*Organizers* Emily Daemen, Rob Smith, Frank Verschoor, Joseph 
Abhayaratna, Ed Parsons, and Krzysztof Janowicz

https://aag-geoethics-series.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/10/sessiongallery/202 
<https://aag-geoethics-series.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/10/sessiongallery/202>

*How to add this event to my calendar*: Go to our list of webinars 
<https://aag-geoethics-series.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/10/sessiongallery> 
and you will see a link to add the webinar to your calendar.

*About the GeoEthics Series*
The American Association of Geographers (AAG) launched a partnership 
with Esri, and the Center for Spatial Studies at the University of 
California Santa Barbara (spatial@ucsb), to develop an action plan for 
addressing the ethical issues surrounding geospatial data and 
technologies. The organizing committee is starting this effort by 
drawing together experts from academia, the private sector, and 
government to discuss many of the major ethical issues raised by 
locational information.

-- 
Krzysztof Janowicz
Professor for Geoinformatics, Director Center for Spatial Studies
Geography Department, University of California, Santa Barbara
4830 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060

Email: jano@geog.ucsb.edu
Webpage: http://geog.ucsb.edu/~jano/
Semantic Web Journal: http://www.semantic-web-journal.net