Geo-Ethics in Slum Mapping

Abstract

Earth Observation (EO) to produce policy-driven information on slums has been receiving increasing attention amongst experts. However, the geo-ethical concerns associated with making slum information publicly available are commonly neglected among the EO community. This study analysed the geo-ethics in terms of technology, product, and application-level using topicfocused interviews in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. We identified that potential users have little knowledge of machine learning-based slum mapping methods, which implies the need for technology and product documentation to improve the acceptability and usability of EO data. We observed an application mismatch among institutions. While NGOs and research institutions required data for pro-poor initiatives, most government institutions needed data for slum eradication. Such mismatches require a rethinking of how slum data should be made public. We present a guide to disseminate information to users in support of developing a global slum data repository.

Pillars of Cloud‐Based Earth Observation Science Education

“…Social ethics refers to the interpersonal ethical principles that shape research, teaching, and learning with others. Social ethics includes ensuring the human dignity of subjects, working toward social justice, following laws and data limitations, working to contribute to the public good, and aiming to increase inclusivity, diversity, equity, and justice (Chandra & Bhatia, 2020; Monmonier, 2018; Nelson et al., 2022; Owusu et al., 2021). Students and scientists practice social ethics by promoting increased data accessibility for underrepresented communities, actively including Indigenous scientists in research activities or raising awareness of sources and consequences of error, bias, uncertainty, and limitations of EO data, or identifying potential harms of EO data‐driven applications, whether direct or indirect.…”

“…Practicing multi-disciplinary collaboration builds skills in cross-disciplinary, cooperative thinking that are making the most of the cloud-based EO paradigm. Moreover, students learn to document and communicate their geospatial workflows and findings, which helps the community groups understand and use the EO deliverables (Owusu et al, 2021). Cloud-based EO platforms can also enable novel ways of sharing findings, whether using interactive visualization or real-time analysis through dashboards, mobile apps, and websites (Nussbaumer Knaflic, 2015).…”