Related expert: Data ethics at Global Fishing Watch
At Global Fishing Watch, data is fundamental to achieving our vision, driving the need for a robust approach to ethical considerations and decision-making in data stewardship. To address this, we commissioned the Open Data Institute to help us establish data ethics principles. These principles serve as clear statements from which Global Fishing Watch builds its organizational goals to ensure responsible and equitable data practices in all aspects of our work.
The data ethics principles were developed collaboratively with representatives from different Global Fishing Watch teams and the data ethics committee. They build on our mission to advance ocean governance through increased transparency of human activity at sea and align with our belief that information about the ocean, our global commons, should be common knowledge. The principles are rooted in our organizational values of transparency, innovation and respect, as described in our organizational strategy.
The data ethics principles reflect Global Fishing Watch’s unique context and forward-looking ambitions. Their fundamental purpose is to promote a shared understanding across the organization to inform review processes, project frameworks and decision-making that aim to ensure that data is handled ethically and responsibly across the organization.
Data ethics principles
Global Fishing Watch seeks to create and publicly share knowledge about human activity at sea to enable fair and sustainable use of our ocean. Our core values center on transparency, innovation and respect.
In line with our goals and values, we strive to:
Exercise transparency in how we obtain, process, analyze and present data.
We provide clear documentation for every step of our data processing, from ingesting external data sources and applying AI models to finalizing datasets for publication. Transparency also means evolving our datasets to align with the established FAIR principles, communicating publicly about the limitations and intended uses of our data, and ensuring continual maintenance of data knowledge both internally and externally.
Assess the consequences, both positive and negative, when developing technologies.
We apply a data ethics review process for every project that results in a public data release led by the organization. This requires all data project members of Global Fishing Watch to consciously consider the intended and unintended consequences of a data product, from the initial proposal to the release of the data. This review process is conducted across all data projects and documented by relevant teams.
Ensure long-term sustainability and excellence of data products.
We are committed to achieving high-quality standards for our data products and seek to continually improve them based on external feedback as well as the development of innovative data science methodologies and technical processes. We also recognize that the pursuit of innovation demands a dedication to the maintenance and quality review of existing data products and infrastructure. The integrity of the knowledge we create can only be ensured by this balance.
Responsibly manage, store and publish data.
We aim to be trusted and dependable partners for stakeholders who share and use our data. We understand the critical role we play in releasing data that can be viewed or repurposed by anyone, and we seek to implement precautionary measures to mitigate unintended outcomes. Our duty of due diligence includes practicing secure data storage methods, maintaining transparent data-sharing agreements and protocols for external data use, and setting limitations on data access. We are building our data governance to follow a set of best practices that guides our collection, maintenance and releases, which is in line with international standards.
Develop accessible and easy-to-understand products.
Our public data is made available in multiple formats to ensure equitable access across user demographics, geographies and (dis)abilities. To achieve our company mission, users must be able to view and understand the data we provide. To help facilitate this, we conduct user research during the data lifecycle to understand stakeholder needs and make data available through various access points including our map, downloadable files and APIs. Where feasible, we provide in-product accommodations to ensure users with disabilities can easily access our tools and data. Clear documentation, informational webinars and other learning opportunities also help ensure a more complete understanding of our technical data products.
Build collaborations that are equitable and inclusive.
We practice respectful collaboration when developing products in conjunction with partners, whether it is through external data integration, scientific publications or other means of co-development. We seek to find solutions that support our partners in their needs and help maintain fruitful relationships. Through an inclusive and co-participatory approach in every step of data development, we create a shared understanding for each project and ensure agreement on data access plans after a project closure.