Tag: GIS Code of Ethics

The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) is one of the most fundamental and stubborn problems in geospatial analysis. When using spatially aggregated data (i.e. data, such as points, which have been separated or grouped into certain areas), the observed patterns and relationships can change dramatically depending on the scale and configuration of the spatial units …

Introduction Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) have become central to the growth of carbon credit markets. Remote sensing and other GIS approaches enable detailed measurement, monitoring, and verification of carbon sequestration projects worldwide (Dossa and Miassi, 2024). However, with this influential role comes significant ethical responsibility. In this blog, we critically explore how GIS technologies are …

In an era accustomed to the overexploitation of the earth’s resources, the impacts of industry activity on ecosystems and communities that rely on them are well understood. However, the extent of these extractive activities now appears to go beyond what protectors of those resources previously thought. With advancing technologies, new research has been able to …

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow security experts to combine and analyze data on environmental dangers, transportation networks, and crime statistics. GIS through spatial analysis guides strategic security measures and resource allocation by identifying high-risk regions and vulnerabilities. While advanced technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GIS, and remote sensing are important for collecting, analyzing, …

The Power of Maps Maps have historically played a role in the colonial acquisition of land and are still used today to justify the appropriation of Indigenous territories. Originally crafted for exploring new lands in search of raw material to exploit, maps are now being used by Indigenous communities in an attempt to safeguard the …

Narratives of Displacement and Resistance mural, painted in the Mission’s Clarion Alley in collaboration with Clarion Alley Mural Project.  I. Eviction Crisis As the effects of pandemic-era eviction memoranda fade, the United States finds itself in the throes of an eviction crisis. While evictions are common across OECD member countries, the eviction crisis is by …

Of the many uses of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), one of the newest is in the study of gender and development. Alongside this emerging discipline exist critiques of GIS and its inherent biases. One such critique by John Pickles points out that GIS users do not acknowledge social context within which GIS operates. This, of …