As Apple was going to court over federal investigators’ efforts to compel the company to provide the means to access information on a specific iPhone, privacy was once again the headline. As the issues play out, professional surveyors and the geospatial community need to take note of the mood and direction regulators are taking.

Susan Marlow, principal, GIS business development for Stantec and MAPPS president, brought the topic of privacy to the attention of geospatial professionals at the MAPPS winter conference.