GeoData Policy

Podcast: Exploring Three Geo-related Lawsuits

By Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg
March 10, 2009

This week we look at several lawsuits within the geospatial community that have made news in the past few weeks. While we are not legal experts or lawyers, we will explore what they may “really” be about. Microsoft is suing TomTom; the Borings of Pennsylvania are going after Google once again and Pictometry and GEOSPAN continue to duke it out about patents.

For full text and link to podcast, visit Directions Magazine: http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=3064

 

Thanks to TheGISForum twitter http://twitter.com/thegisforum (and Directions All Points Blog) for bringing the following to my attention!

That’s right, GeoData Policy is finally twittering: http://twitter.com/GeoDataPolicy

Google Street View Case Dismissed–Boring v. Google

By Eric Goldman

Boring v. Google, Inc., 2:08-cv-00694-ARH (W.D. Pa. Feb. 17, 2009)

You may recall the Boring case from last Spring. A Pennsylvania couple sued because Google’s camera car drove up their private driveway and the resulting pictures were posted to Google’s Street View. I thought the whole lawsuit was such a silly publicity stunt that I didn’t think it was blog-worthy at the time. Apparently I’m not the only person who wasn’t impressed with the suit, because the court didn’t give the plaintiffs any benefit of the doubt and dismissed the lawsuit handily (without leave to amend).

Some highlights from the discussion…

For full text of the article, visit: http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2009/02/google_street_v.htm

Source: Eric Goldman, Technology & Marketing Law Blog, February 17, 2009

PA Couple Appeals Google Street View Privacy Case

by Chloe Albanesius

A family whose case against Google’s Street View was dismissed is going back for more.

Judge Amy Reynolds Hay of U.S District Court for Western Pennsylvania last month dismissed a privacy case brought against Google by Aaron and Christine Boring because the couple failed to show that Street View images of their home caused them any real distress.

That ruling was not satisfactory to the Borings, who have appealed the decision.

For full text of the article, visit: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342425,00.asp

Source: PCMAG.COm, March 4, 2009

 

A federal court ruled September 10th that stored cell phone location information is protected by the Fourth Amendment.  The court said the government needed a warrant, based on probable cause, in order to gain access to stored cell phone location information.  Other courts have required probable cause for law enforcement access to real-time cell phone location information; however, this decision is particularly important because it extends the probable cause requirement to stored location information.  The Electronic Frontier Foundation, joined by CDT, ACLU and the ACLU of Pennsylvania, had argued for the warrant requirement that the court adopted in an amicus curiae brief filed in July. September 11, 2008

Federal Court Decision [PDF], September 10, 2008: http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/celltracking/lenihanorder.pdf

Amicus Brief in the Case [PDF], July 31, 2008: http://www.cdt.org/security/20080731_lenihan_amicus.pdf

Source: Center for Democracy & Technology, September 11, 2008

NASCIO Geospatial Governance Brief

The National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) released a brief titled “Governance of Geospatial Resources: “Where’s the Data? Show Me” – Maximizing the Investment in State Geospatial Resources.” This issue brief is part of NASCIO’s series on Enterprise Governance and deals with the growing demand for GIS in every aspect of government decision making. This issue brief is available at: www.nascio.org/publications. For full text of the press release, visit: http://www.nascio.org/newsroom/pressReleases/080723.cfm

Fifty States Initiative Coordination Criteria

The National States Geographic Information Council Blog comments on the nine coordination criteria developed by NSGIC as part of the Fifty States Initiative, to which this NASIO brief adds seven additional issues, including privacy and security issues at the state policy level. Visit: http://www.nsgic.org/blog/2008/07/nascio-looks-at-geospatial-data-issues.html

Profiles of Leading Geospatial Governance Models

As part of a NSDI 50 States Initiative CAP Grant effort in Wisconsin, we examined leading geospatial governance models in eight other states and published a series of geospaital governance profiles: Arkansas, Arizona, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, and Utah .

These state geospatial governance profiles also may be found in total on FGDC’s website: http://www.fgdc.gov/grants/2006CAP/Category3/WI/