Volume 8 Issue 1

This paper proposes a research agenda to examine the contours of the law in relation to the use, development and dissemination of GIS. The economic, political and social significance of GIS in an information age gives rise to emerging policy and legal issues including rights and responsibilities, intellectual property in information products, liability in tort and contract, access, privacy and the right to know. The results arising from the study of these issues may provide solutions to difficult legal and practical problems which policy-makers will face and can ill-afford to ignore. Such signposts may help define the contours of the law in an Information Age.

* George Cho is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Applied Science, University of Canberra and Eugene Clark is Professor of Law and Head of School, University of Canberra. We acknowledge the input of researchers Kate Reid, Arthur Hoyle and Kerrin Stewart who, with the authors are part of the University of Canberra research team investigating geographic information systems. This article represents part of the research to be undertaken as part of a University of Canberra Research Committee Research Grant and a ARC Small Grant project of GIS and the law.

1. See K Reid, E Clark & G Cho, "Legal Risk Management in Geographic Information Systems", 1996, Vol 7(2) Journal of Law and Information Science pp 169-207, and Earthwatch Environment Assessment Programme Technical Report A Survey of Geographic Information System and Image Processing Software 1995 at http://grid2.cr.usgs.gov/survey/introduction.html. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) come in a number of specialist guises, and typically include one or more of the following components: data (both raw and value added), products, services and specialised computer software.