AGS lands Omidyar grant for dialogue on ethics of geospatial tech

By on 17 July, 2019

The American Geographical Society (AGS) has received a grant from the Omidyar Network to develop a fellowship program for a ‘global conversation’ on the ethical dimensions of geospatial technologies and data.

Under the new EthicalGEO initiative, the AGS will call on thought leaders across the world to contribute ideas on ethical challenges of new geospatial technologies, in the absence of clear, developed ethical guidelines.

“We at the American Geographical Society are excited to partner with Omidyar Network on this important initiative. We look forward to unlocking the ethical creativity of the extended geospatial community, and to share their insights with the world over this global platform” said Dr. Christopher Tucker, Chairman of AGS.

Participants are invited to submit videos showcasing their best ideas to address ethical questions related to geospatial technology and its application, and seven selected entrants will  receive funding to develop the concept as an Ethical GEO Fellow.

“Geospatial technologies continue to be an invaluable force for good, yet there is a growing need to address the unintended consequences that can arise with such technological innovation,” said Peter Rabley, venture partner at Omidyar Network.

“We are excited to support the launch of EthicalGEO, which will help us better understand how we might safeguard against potential downsides while optimising the positive impact geospatial technologies can have on advancing solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing issues, from a lack of property rights, climate change, and global development.”

Learn more at the FAQ on the EthicalGEO website.

Stay up to date by getting stories like this delivered to your mailbox.
Sign up to receive our free weekly Spatial Source newsletter.

You may also like to read:


, , , , , , , ,


Newsletter

Sign up now to stay up to date about all the news from Spatial Source. You will get a newsletter every week with the latest news.

Interview: Tori Murrant, GIS analyst
Having stumbled across the geospatial sector at university, ...
Testing SouthPAN and commercial GNSS services
UNSW surveying students were challenged to put a range of So...
Here’s what’s in our latest issue!
Learn about the metaverse, mapmaking, 3D scanning, RINEX, hy...
Modern Methods of Construction Roadshow
The events will show how the latest software, tools and tech...
Real-time LiDAR mapping system
The Brumby LiDAR rapidly produces point clouds by removing t...