Congratulations to the new 2019-2020 EthicalGEO Fellows, and welcome to the EthicalGEO Blog! Fellows were selected from an extremely impressive group of applicants, with bright ideas that can serve to not only improve our data driven world, but also to pave the way for a shared, ethical society. Each Fellow will receive a $7,500 award towards the initiation of their project. After 9 months of working on their projects, Fellows will convene in June to present their results in a public forum.
In light of extensive and rapidly growing use of geographic tools and technology, this initiative is designed to beginan international dialog that addresses geo-ethical issues. Nearly every other week, we learn of an “eyebrow-raising” situation– whether it be a new phone app, a new feature from a tech- company, or another interesting way your geo-data is being used. More often than not, we ask ourselves, “Can they really do that?” The answer seems to be a clear and resounding, “I guess they can?!” EthicalGEO seeks to not only create a global conversation on the many unanswered and ignored questions, but also to generate a “hippocratic oath” for how global leaders, innovators, and society as a whole will ethically move ahead in a rapidly advancing world. The EthicalGEO initiative is funded by a generous grant from Omidyar Network, a philanthropic firm which seeks to make the world a more equitable and empowered place.
Keep reading to learn more about each selected winner, and watch each of their EthicalGEO Videos! Join the discussion by leaving a comment to this post or on their individual videos.
The 2019-2020 Fellows are:
Mr. Greg Babinski is a Marketing and Business Development Manager at the King County GIS Center in Seattle, Washington.
Mr. William Evans is a Project Manager for Humanitarian OpenStreetMap in Tanzania based in Washington D.C.
Dr. Alfredo Giron Nava is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Future Earth & National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Ms. Erica Hagen is the Co-Founder and Board Member of Map Kibera Trust based in Washington D.C.
Dr. David Pagett is an Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rev. Michael Rozier is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health Management and Policy, Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Dara Seidl is an Independent Researcher and recent Ph.D. graduate of the joint doctoral program between San Diego State University and UC Santa Barbara. She is based in San Luis Obispo, California.
AGS thanks all participants in the EthicalGEO initiative, from those who submitted to those who commented, voted, or simply just watched!
For the official Press Release, click here!
