Ethical Considerations of Using Geospatial Technologies in Community Health Research

Abstract

Geospatial technologies (GST), such as remote sensing (RS), geographical information systems (GIS), global positioning system (GPS), and internet mapping technologies (IMT) are innovative data collection tools increasingly deployed in community health research (CHR). However, application of these stools in CHR does not always respect ethical norms, principles, and frameworks for ethical research. In this report, I present evidence from the literature that GST are intrusive data collection instruments; and defend the thesis that CHR in which GST is applied ought to comply with ethical guidelines. I defend the thesis from three premises. I use notions of principlism, the research guidelines of the National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC), the National Health Act (NHA), international research ethics guidelines, principles grounded in virtue ethics and Kantian moral theory to defend the premise that autonomy, privacy, and confidentiality are violated when GST is used in community health research without prior informed consent from individuals and communities. On the second premise, I demonstrate that the constitution of South Africa, the National Health Act, Protection of Personal Information Act, and case law make it unlawful to collect, share or distribute personal identifiable information without approval from individuals or communities concerned. Thirdly, I use the principle of maximizing the good grounded in utilitarianism and the social value of research to defend the premise that the application of GST in CHR ought to have social value. In my arguments, I examine and provide rebuttals to potential objections and conclude that the use of GST in CHR ought to comply with ethical norms and guidelines throughout the life of a research project. Finally, to strengthen the ethics of community health research in which GST are used, I propose some recommendations for research ethics committees, researchers, and journal editors.