This project will institute regularly-offered graduate seminars that rigorously explore ethical implications of geographic information science and technology (GIS&T) within three prominent graduate programs of geography at Oregon State University, the University of Minnesota, and Pennsylvania State University. A model seminar curriculum developed by a team of professional ethicists and GIS&T educators will be developed and disseminated freely to the GIS&T education community in the U.S. and overseas. This project addresses the fact that GIS&T is a large and rapidly-growing multidisciplinary field concerned with the nature, use, and societal impacts of information derived from geospatial technologoes. Technologies such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS) enable analysts to track people and tehings, to evaluate natural resources and monitor land uses, to identify optimal sites and routes, and to target areas for further investigation or intervention. As such, ethical issues related to: 1) privacy of individuals and use of geospatial technologies as surveillance tools; 2) appropriate use of data collected using these methods for policy decisions; and, 3) consequences of inequities that arise through biased access to geospatial tools and derived data. A panel of ethicists and educators will be convened to develop a seminar curriculum that engages students in the philosophical foundations of ethics, in echniques for assessing and strengthening moral reasoning ability, and the ethical issues associated with GIS&T. Student interactions with GIS&T professionals will be used to develop case studies that illuminate practical situations and professional responses to them. The curriculum will be widely disseminated through the Association of American Geographers and through virtual seminars at PSU.
