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The Association for Geographic Information (AGI) has become a supporting organisation of the Locus Charter, which promotes the ethical use of location data.

“Our mission is to be a thriving geospatial community that actively supports a sustainable future,” said Denise McKenzie, AGI Chair and collaborating author of the Locus Charter.

“As geographers and geospatial professionals, we have an amazing opportunity to use our tools and expertise to achieve this, but we recognise that our contributions must meet the highest ethical standards.

“The AGI is therefore proud to join the founding Locus Charter supporter group and is committed to providing a collaborative platform to help ensure a responsible future for the geospatial profession.”

The Locus Charter was publicly launched in March 2021 following a multi-year partnership between the American Geographical Society’s EthicalGEO and the Benchmark Initiative, hosted at the UK Ordnance Survey’s Geovation.

The charter was developed in collaboration with location data and data ethics experts and has received support from Omidyar Network, Henry Luce Foundation and Ordnance Survey.

The AGI joins the American Geographical Society (AGS), Environmental Information Systems Africa (EIS – Africa), the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI – Mexico), Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), PLACE, Radiant Earth Foundation, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (RGS-IBG), and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as a founding supporting organisation.

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