gisprofessionalethics.org
About this Project | Case Studies | Codes of Ethics | Syllabi | Interview Protocols | Other
Case Studies
Students develop ethical awareness and moral reasoning skills through methodical analysis and discussion of case studies. The main contribution of the GIS Professional Ethics Project is a collection of case studies that pose a range of ethical challenges faced by geospatial professionals. Related educator resources are available on request for most cases.
To learn more about the case method, including a "Seven Step Guide for Ethical Decision Making," see Davis, Michael (1999) The Case Method. Ethics and the University. New York: Routledge. For an example of ethical decision making using the "Mapping Muslim Neighbors" case, see DiBiase, David, Chris Goranson, Francis Harvey and Dawn Wright (2009). The GIS Professional Ethics Project: Practical Ethics Education for GIS Pros. Proceedings of the 24th International Cartography Conference. Santiago, Chile, 15-21 November. Also in Unwin, D., K. Foote, N. Tate and D. DiBiase, Eds. (2011). Teaching Geographic Information Science and Technology in Higher Education. London: Wiley and Sons.
For more information about GIS ethics, see DiBiase, D. (2017). Professional and Practical Ethics of GIS&T. The Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge (2nd Quarter 2017 Edition), John P. Wilson (ed.). doi: 10.22224/gistbok/2017.2.2
| mapping_muslim_neighbors_case.pdf | A police department's plan to map potential terrorist enclaves brings charges of racial profiling. |
| caribou_routes_case.pdf | A GIS analyst is asked to exclude pertinent data from maps prepared for a public hearing. |
| mobile_phone_tracking_case.pdf | Researchers track mobile phone users' movements to derive predictive models of human mobility. Updated 4 December 2019 |
| software_emergency_case.pdf | Too few software licenses are available in the aftermath of a tsunami. |
| e911_conflict_case.pdf | A municipal GIS manager troubled by what appears to be a conflict of interest considers filing a formal ethics complaint. |
| collateral_damage_case.pdf | A geospatial intelligence analyst predicts the civilian casualties in likely to be caused by a pre-emptive missile attack. |
| satellite_contract_case.pdf | A sales representative is expected to withhold information that could affect availability of a data product. |
| fire_mapping_case.pdf | A member of the press asks a government employee to leak the results of a GIS analysis about a controversial wild land fire. |
| llrw_siting_map_case.pdf | Map masks potentially suitable sites for low-level radioactive waste storage facility. |
| submarine_crash_case.pdf | A nuclear submarine's crash into an uncharted seamount raises ethical issues for Navy training personnel. |
| data_access_case.pdf | A governmental agency's need to recoup user fees conflicts with a public records law. |
| alpha_software_case.pdf | Entrepreneurial GIS programmer is tempted to use a friend's code to win a lucrative contract. |
| bear_baiting_case.pdf | Should locations of controversial hunting stations be mapped? |
| environmental_justice_case.pdf | GIS programmer ponders a contract for a web map overlays toxic industrial sites and at-risk communities. |
| tidal_wetland_mapping_case.pdf | A scope of work statement and established mapping procedures prevent a GIS analyst from adding wetlands to a conservation database. |
| privacy_and_planning_case.pdf | A GIS professional considers filing an ethics complaint about lax protection of the confidentiality of a sensitive database. |
| ethical_minefield_case.pdf | Should a surveying and mapping crew chief pay a bribe to acquire data needed to conduct field reconnaissannce safely? |
Codes of Ethics
| http://www.gisci.org/Ethics_and_Conduct/CodeOfEthics_PR.pdf | GIS Code of Ethics |
| https://www.gisci.org/Ethics/RulesofConduct.aspx | GIS Certification Institute Rules of Conduct |
| https://www.asprs.org/organization/code-of-ethics-of-the-american-society-for-photogrammetry-and-remote-sensing.html | American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Code of Ethics |
Syllabi
| https://gis.e-education.psu.edu/geog864 | Syllabus of Penn State class GEOG 864: Professionalism and Ethics in Geographic Information Science and Technology |
| 8291Syllabus - version 0.6.pdf | Syllabus of the Fall 2008 offering of University of Minnesota class GEOG 8291: GIS Ethics: Accuracy and Responsibility |
| http://dusk.geo.orst.edu/ethics/ | Syllabus of Winter 2009 offering of Oregon State class GEO 599: Responsible GIS Practice: Ethics for Future Geospatial Professionals |
| Ghose_GIS_Society_syllabus_Sp09.pdf | Syllabus of Spring 2009 offering of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee class GEOG 734: GIS and Society (contributed by Rina Ghose) |
Practitioner Interview Protocols
| GIS&T .Ethics.Interview.protocol.2.doc | Interview protocol revised after project workshop (March 2008) and IRB-approved for use by Penn State students |
Other Resources
| GIS.ethics.education.refs.ris | References consulted during the GISProfessional Ethics Project. Save and import this file into a new EndNote library. Updated 26 January 2009. |
| http://www.ppgis.net/?s=code+of+ethics | PPgis.net Open Forum on Participatory Geographic Information Systems and Technologies - Practical Ethics in PGIS/PPGIS Practice |