Social aspects of location-monitoring systems: the case of Guide Me and of My-SOS

Abstract

What are the social implications of the new geo-information systems and location based services (LBS) that are becoming more and more widely used in modern society, and how are these aspects incorporated into the current development process of these products? Based on his experience as an industrial design engineer closely involved in the development of several LBS in the area of safety and security, and care and sports, the author describes the development of two LBS in which the Dutch research organization TNO has been involved. He analyzes the positive social implications of the systems, designed to improve the safety and independence of their users, as well as the potentially less positive rebound effects that they could bring about. The author finds that developers focus primarily on the positive effects to be gained from their new LBS, but don't pay conscious attention to the potential negative rebound effects of their inventions. Although many stakeholders are involved in the development and implementation of the LBS, none of these actors seems to be responsible for the deliberate monitoring of the social effects the new products will have. This leaves space for one of the present parties involved, or for a new organization not yet involved at this stage, to claim this responsibility for monitoring the social consequences of new LBS to be introduced on the market.

Quelles sont les implications sociales des nouveaux systèmes de géo-localisation et des services basés sur la géo-localisation (location based services — LBS), que l'on utilise de plus en plus dans nos sociétés modernes, et comment les prend-on en compte dans le processus de développement de ces produits? A partir de son expérience en tant qu'ingénieur concepteur industriel impliqué dans le développement de LBS dans les domaines de la sécurité et de la sûreté, des soins ou du sport, l'auteur décrit le processus de développement de deux LBS dans lequel l'organisme de recherche hollandais TNO s'est impliqué. Il analyse les implications sociales positives de ces systèmes destinés à améliorer la sécurité et l'autonomie des utilisateurs, ainsi que les effets pervers potentiellement moins positifs qu'ils pourraient avoir. L'auteur montre que les développeurs se focalisent avant tout sur les effets positifs qu'on peut attendre de leur nouveau LBS sans porter véritablement attention aux éventuels effets pervers négatifs de leurs inventions. Bien que de nombreux acteurs soient impliqués dans le développement et l'implémentation des LBS, aucun d'entre eux ne semble être responsable d'un accompagnement résolu des conséquences sociales que ces nouveaux produits auront. Ce qui laisse la place à l'un ou l'autre des acteurs impliqués dans le processus — ou encore à un tout autre organisme pas encore impliqué à ce stade — pour revendiquer la responsabilité de l'accompagnement des conséquences sociales de l'introduction sur le marché de nouveaux LBS.

Keywords

Corporate social responsibility Geo-information systems GPS Guide Me Location-based services (LBS)My-SOS Rebound effect Social sustainability Tracking and tracing

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