Research Data in Google Earth: How Do We Protect Privacy and Meet Ethical Obligations?

In 2005, Google released Google Earth (a free virtual globe, map and geographic information program) allowing anyone with location coordinates (postal codes, GPS data) to create and share accurate spatial-location maps. It has since become a powerful tool for researchers and scientists in the growing discipline of visual data analysis. In 2008, Fleet and Williamson demonstrated analytic and communication benefits by mapping the survey data of 400 small and medium businesses in Atlantic Canada. Yet, our (research) ethical obligation is to ensure the confidentiality of identification information received from respondents, and the postal code data entered into geo-analytic tools such as Google Earth allow the viewer to see identification pins marking individual buildings or rooftops. This paper will summarize the Canadian requirements on privacy, confidentiality and identification issues and requirements for Canadian researchers (as defined by the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement). It will conclude with a series of proposals and discussion points (both technical and non-technical) for how to address these concerns.