Geomasking to Safeguard Geoprivacy in Geospatial Health Data

Geomasking is a set of techniques that introduces noise or intentional errors into geospatial data to minimize the risk of identifying exact location information related to individuals while preserving the utility of the data to a controlled extent. It protects the geoprivacy of the data contributor and mitigates potential harm from data breaches while promoting safer data sharing. The development of digital health technologies and the extensive use of individual geospatial data in health studies have raised concerns about geoprivacy. The individual tracking data and health information, if accessed by unauthorized parties, may lead to privacy invasions, criminal activities, and discrimination. These risks underscore the importance of robust protective measures in the collection, management, and sharing of sensitive data. Geomasking techniques have been developed to safeguard geoprivacy in geospatial health data, addressing the risks and challenges associated with data sharing. This entry paper discusses the importance of geoprivacy in geospatial health data and introduces various kinds of geomasking methods and their applications in balancing the protection of individual privacy with the need for data sharing to ensure scientific reproducibility, highlighting the urgent need for more effective geomasking techniques and their applications.