CALL FOR PAPERS for a Special Issue of The Cartographic Journal: “Geospatial Ethics: New Directions and Global Challenges”

Editors: Alexander Kent, Doug Specht and Aileen Buckley

Ethics has long been a concern of academic geography, with scholars such as Harvey, Lefebvre, Massey and Butler noting how geographical practices have often promoted cultural oppression, social othering, and environmental destruction. Today, geospatial data are produced and used more widely than ever before. Governments, commercial companies, NGOs, educational institutions and individuals are involved in the creation and dissemination of geospatial datasets through an increasing range of digital platforms and social media.

To meet the need to promote greater understanding and implementation of geospatial ethics, a plethora of charters, white papers, codes, guidelines and assessment tools have been produced since 2018. However, a full assessment of this rapidly evolving sub-field and a discussion of its far-reaching implications for producers and consumers of geospatial knowledge is yet to be undertaken. This Special Issue of The Cartographic Journal seeks to identify and explore the key concepts, challenges and agencies in the realm of geospatial ethics, evaluate major contributions towards advancing its global reach, and chart some directions for the future.

We welcome contributions of up to 8,000 words (Refereed paper with double-blind peer review) or shorter manuscripts of up to 4,000 words (Observation paper with editor review) that engage with any aspect of geospatial ethics, especially those which address the following:

• Ethical mapping practices
• Geospatial data collection and cleaning
• Ethical cartographic representations of people and places
• Developing ethical frameworks for the geospatial industry
• Geospatial ethics and social media
• Ethical dimensions of the quality of geospatial data
• Ethics of political and activist applications of geospatial data

Abstracts (up to 150 words) should be submitted by email to d.specht@westminster.ac.uk by 7th November 2022. Full papers should be received by 1st February 2023. All accepted papers will be published online (with DOI) ahead of the printed Special Issue.

The Cartographic Journal is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic periodical published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the British Cartographic Society. Its readership extends to over 180 countries and its impact factor is 1.366.