Amina Deiab - Senior Director Economic Policy - Economic Development and Trade, Government of Alberta, Finding the Right Balance: Geo-spatial technologies, Data, Policy and Privacy

The evolution and proliferation of geo-spatial technologies and the increasing usage of geographic information systems has created an exponential growth of geo-spatial data, and with it, new market and business opportunities. Geo-spatial data and data analytics plays a crucial role in economic development with the global geo-spatial data analytics market foretasted to grow from $69.9 billion in 2018 to $88.3 billion in 2020. However, the increased usage of geographic information systems, geo-spatial technologies and the individuated characteristics of location data has brought with it an increase in public concern over consumer privacy. With the rise of data breaches, data misuse and sophisticated cyber-attacks, consumers are demanding greater rights over how personal data is collected, used and stored while regulators are increasing the level of scrutiny over companies that manage consumer data.

Critical questions for businesses, policy makers and consumers remain : Can the right balance be struck between enabling business innovation and protecting consumer privacy? Is there a “right” model for Canada? The European Union recently released the General Data Protection Regulation which aims to standardize data privacy laws across the European Union contrasted with a de-centralized approach in the U.S , which uses sectoral regulations to protect consumer privacy while not impeding cross-border data flows.

This moderated panel will bring together experts in privacy law, data governance, and information security to discuss how privacy, technology, business innovation, and law intersect. The panel will discuss and explore key opportunities, challenges and potential paths forward for the geo-spatial sector.