Do not promote proprietary products, rather find sustainable methods that serve human and related species
Geography Realm @Geographyrealm How to Map Watersheds Using ArcGIS Pro: A Step-by-Step Guide https://buff.ly/46Ovdvj
Replying to @Geographyrealm
To be honest, you should say “How we, a few people, used ArcGIS Pro to Map Watersheds” and not imply it is the only way or the best way, or that ArcGIS is the best way or the only way. Often authors or publishers will title something to imply “we are the best” or “buy our product” or “buy this product”. Any time a proprietary product is mentioned in a title, it is tied to a commercial firm aiming for market share and revenue. If it is a product that costs a lot in money, and dependencies, training costs and limited accessibility — at global scale — it would be better to show alternatives that can serve all 8.1 Billion humans fairly, not just a few.
I know ArcGIS from when it was first born and used it for the Famine Early Warning System (1986 until now). ArcGIS was expensive and not really a good tool (from accessibility) for all the countries in the world, especially for the billions of humans who suffer from digital and economic divides.
Many corporations will make money from early entry into microcomputers and the Internet. But they did not have a clear understanding of what their methods do to exclude most of the human species. Or empower a few humans to control and manipulate others. On the Internet, a few hundred thousand (or a few) employees of a firm or network of firms can control the future of all humans.
If firms do not make open and concerted effort to serve all humans, the effort to solve a few problems like watershed, intended to help many, up to billions, can backfire and introduce systemic dependencies, single points of failure, single points of manipulation and control to benefit a few – that hurts much more than it helps.
I think you were careful, but not explicit.
23 Jun 2024 is the 25th Anniversary of the Internet Foundation
Filed as (Do not promote proprietary products, rather find sustainable methods that serve human and related species)
Richard Collins, The Internet Foundation
