Data ethics in geography teaching (Teacher CPD)

Ethics is becoming an increasingly important area of consideration when working with geographic data.

In industry, concerns over privacy, ownership of data and how data is used form part of project planning. For students, geography research ethics has often focused on notions of consent related to traditional research methods such as surveys or interviews.

However, new sources of geographic data, such as that collected through social media or open-source satellite imagery, present new ethical issues. So do the applications of these data, with old issues of data presentation still present, but joined by questions such as who is liable if the data cause a death, such as with self-driving cars.

In this workshop we will:

• Explore questions of ethics in geography and in using geographic data
• Share key resources and texts that help to integrate these questions into the curriculum and NEA
• Look at examples of problem-based learning that encourage critical thinking in relation to geographic ethics

About the speaker

Doug Specht is a Chartered Geographer, Chartered Teacher, and the Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Westminster. His research examines how knowledge is constructed and codified through digital and cartographic artefacts, focusing on development issues in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has written extensively on geographic data ethics and among other publications is co-editor of the forthcoming The Routledge Handbook of Geospatial Technology and Society.

Information for delegates

This event will be run online via Microsoft Teams. Details of how to access the event will be sent out via email approximately a week before the event date. If this email does not reach you, please contact us (preferably before the day of the event) at events@rgs.org

We anticipate that this event will be very popular. Please only reserve yourself a space if you are sure you are attending, otherwise you may prevent another teacher from accessing the event.