Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) are important contributors to the advancement of human knowledge, as well to solving many societal challenges. Through there have been huge advances in GIST over the last few decades, the benefits of geospatial education and entrepreneurship opportunities are very limited for economically disadvantaged students and communities, due to the expense of the technology. However, the last decade has seen a rapid growth in free and open source geospatial software along with the development of many open data resources, based in open standards. Together with open educational resources and open access to research publications, these Open Principles in Geospatial Education have significantly lowered the barriers to the use of GIST by the broader public.
Disseminating these advances is in keeping with the Right to Benefit from Scientific Progress and Its Applications promoted by the United Nations [1], which “includes (a) access by everyone without discrimination to the benefits of science and its application, including scientific knowledge; (b) opportunities for all to contribute to the scientific enterprise and freedom indispensable for scientific research; (c) participation of individuals and communities in decision-making and the related right to information; and (d) an enabling environment fostering the conservation, development and diffusion of science and technology.”
How do we enable access to geoeducational and digital economy opportunities for all? How can we help everyone enjoy the benefits of geospatial scientific progress and its applications? How can we create a global community of practitioners committed to advancing open principles in geospatial education? This panel will bring together key educators and thinkers to discuss these ideas and their possibilities.
The panel at AAG 2019 is proposed by the GeoForAll community [2] and is in association with YouthMappers [3], which will be organizing a community mapathon adjacent to the conference.
[1] https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CulturalRights/Pages/benefitfromscientificprogress.aspx
[2] /initiatives/geo-for-all/
[3] https://www.youthmappers.org
