The ability to replicate, or reproduce, research is fundamental to the scientific process. Research combining a variety of georeferenced data is spreading rapidly across scientific domains and international borders. This suggests a growing potential for the use and integration of new and existing data sets to create new multi-disciplinary scientific collaborations. Yet, the unique characteristics of georeferenced data present special challenges to such collaborations. These data are highly identifiable when presented in maps and other visualizations or when combined with sensor data or other related geospatial data sets. The potential opportunities of collaboration may thus be constrained by the need to protect the locational privacy (geoprivacy) and confidentiality of subjects in research using georeferenced data. This paper reviews the obstacles to and potential methods for sharing georeferenced data in order to support a growing and dynamic geospatial research community and build capacity for data-intensive research across the social and environmental sciences. The development and implementation of a geospatial virtual data enclave methodology is proposed as an innovative and viable solution to share and archive georeferenced data among researchers while protecting the geoprivacy of research subjects and the confidentiality of these data. The ability to share confidential geospatial data among researchers is crucial to ensuring replicability of scientific research, and to enable researchers to verify and build upon the research of others.

Maps are essential in climate change research and policymaking, and are primary tools for communicating climate change information to the public. The consequences of cartographic design are potentially significant to understanding climate change and effectively informing policymakers. Yet, the cartographic design and quality of climate change maps have not been critically assessed nor systematically evaluated. We suggest that evaluating the quality of climate change maps is both timely and essential, and offer one approach as a demonstration. We use cartographic design principles to evaluate a 'high visibility' climate change map from the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Our specific goals are to demonstrate the need and value of cartographic critique, describe how such evaluation can be accomplished, and make a case for cartographers' engagement with climate change scientists in mapping activities. We suggest a research and policy agenda for the cartographic evaluation and design of climate change maps.

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The popular use of GIS and related mapping technologies has changed approaches to map-making. Cartography is no longer the domain of experts, and the potential for poorly designed maps has increased. This trend has raised concerns that poorly designed maps might mislead decision makers. Hence, an important research question is this: Can different cartographic displays of one data set so influence decision makers as to alter a decision that relies on the mapped data? This question was studied using a spatial decision problem typical for decision makers in a resource management agency in the United States (the USDA Forest Service). Cartographic display was varied by constructing three hypothetical map treatments from the same data set. Map treatments and other test materials were mailed to Forest Service District Rangers. All District Rangers received the same decision problem, but each received only one of the three map treatments. The participants were asked to make a decision using the decision problem and map treatment. Information about the decision and the influence of each map treatment was obtained through a questionnaire. The research and its implications for map-based decision making are presented and discussed.