Keynote Address

Geographic Foundation of Pursuing Equity and Social Justice

Greg Babinski, King County GIS Center

We have had an unresolved race-related moral dilemma in what is now the United States for at least five centuries. On January 20, 2021, the day that he was inaugurated, President Biden signed an ‘Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government’. This order referenced the role of geography as a key tool to identify and understand patterns of inequity and to formulate policies and investments to advance social justice. Building upon foundations that can be traced back to the University of Washington, geographic information science and technology are being applied systematically by a growing number of government agencies and private entities to advance equity and social justice. I hope to outline the potential of GIS&T to help address our moral dilemma and advance racial equity and social justice.