More and better location data is changing our knowledge of the world, improving existing services and creating new ones. New possibilities mean new risks, to fairness, privacy and competition, and new responsibilities for governments, businesses, and people who work with data.

Benchmark is a new year-long initiative, delivered by Geovation and supported by the Omidyar Network, to explore the ethical issues raised by the proliferation of location data, and the ways that innovation can work in the public interest.

The launch event introducing the series features Caroline Bellamy, Chief Data Officer for Ordnance Survey, and Chris Tucker, Chairman of the American Geographical Society, in conversation, moderated by Denise McKenzie, former Executive Director at the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and director of the Benchmark Entrepreneur-in-Residence programme

They’ll discuss the new markets being created, the challenges arising, and how to capture the immense social and economic value while minimising risks.