Geo-Ethics in Slum Mapping

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 topic-focused 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.