ABSTRACT
A considerable body of literature and genuine concern has arisen in recent years which addresses the question of ethics in computer systems in general and in GIS in particular. In the latter arena, the primary voices of concern have been those of humanistic geographers and planners, while in the former area, it is high on the agenda of some of the best known professional organizations (the Association for Computing Machinery and the British Computer Society, for example, have comprehensive ethical codes). This chapter attempts to raise the issues from within the GIS research community. Six actors are identified and key ethical issues with respect to each are discussed in tum. These are the software developer and vendor, the data provider, the researcher, the applier, the educator, and the public.
