Cartographic privacy: Case studies in communicating sensitive geospatial information

Numerous quantitative techniques exist for protecting geoprivacy, but often require significant expertise and may not always provide adequate protection. We propose cartographic privacy as a framework for protecting sensitive spatial data. Cartographically private approaches favor using design techniques to obfuscate data rather than statistical ones, appealing to intuitive rather than technical understandings of geoprivacy. We explore this concept using two case studies of sensitive geonarrative interviews that focus on mapping the topology and friction of trajectories described by participants, and in doing so protect geoprivacy. We conclude by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of qualitatively driven approaches to geoprivacy protection.