- Author: Kenneth Field
- Full Title: Ethics in Mapping
- Category: articles
- Document Tags: #geospatial
- URL: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/mapping/ethics-in-mapping/
Highlights
- A question I’m often asked is ‘what is the right way to map this data?’, and my answer is always ‘it depends’. There’s no right or wrong way to design a particular map. There aren’t even many hard or fast ‘rules’ in cartography. So with an abundance of design choices the key to making a truthful map is establishing what the message needs to be in relation to the audience, and then translating that into the design. (View Highlight)
- All maps have the power to lie. With such power comes great responsibility on the part of the map-maker. Understanding how to remain objective, be thorough, and be able to justify decisions is a vital aspect of good cartographic practice. (View Highlight)
- A recent discussion of relevance for the production of cartographic products was clearly articulated by Obermeyer (2021) who identified four types of ethics, namely professional, code-based, virtue, and practical. These are, to an extent, overlapping but they establish reasonable rules and behaviours, norms, boundaries, the conditions for honesty and integrity, fairness and competency, as well as what to be and how to have good internalized intentions that lead to positive results and actions. (View Highlight)
- The more recent Locus Charter seeks to improve the standards of practice in the geo-sphere more generally and lists ten founding principles that are intended as a call for action, and a mantra we can abide by as geo-professionals more generally. It’s worth exploring the descriptions in detail but in outline, these principles are:
• Realize opportunities
• Understand impacts
• Do no harm
• Protect the vulnerable
• Address bias
• Minimize intrusion
• Minimize data
• Protect privacy
• Prevent identification of individuals
• Provide accountability (View Highlight)
New highlights added January 15, 2024 at 7:50 AM
- Sometimes maps might be regarded as ineffective and poor because they may fail in varying ways and to widely varying degrees. They may be accidentally disingenuous about the content; use misguided construction or techniques; or they may even be deliberately designed to be persuasive or propagandist. Whether accidentally or deliberately, it’s entirely possible to make a map in ways that might misconstrue meaning and raise questions about the authority of the map, the veracity of the message, and the intentions of the map-maker. (View Highlight)
- have a straightforward agenda, and purpose;
• strive to know your audience (the map reader);
• do not intentionally lie with data;
• show all relevant data whenever possible;
• don’t discard data because it might be contrary;
• strive for accurate portrayal of the data;
• avoid plagiarising; report all data sources;
• ensure symbols don’t bias the interpretation of the map;
• the map should be able to be repeated by others;
• be attentive to differing cultural values and principles; and
• don’t let defaults drive your design. (View Highlight)
- What I do feel is important is that most of these codes, whether a list of ideals in a book or something more formal, should be principles that guide us, and not regimented ‘rules’. I like the BCS effort but it’s not heavy-handed, and there are far more map-makers in the world than BCS members, or members of any society for that matter. The world has moved well beyond professional cartography being governed by societies and professional organisations anyway. A community driven approach that makers of maps of all types, and of all experiences, can view as helpful in guiding their own work seems like a good way to help us all in our work. (View Highlight)