Transparency & Spatial Data (aaag-transparency-and-data)
The Annals (Taylor & Francis, for the AAG) follows publisher and disciplinary norms for data
availability and research integrity rather than (as at some journals) a mandatory, editor-run
replication check before publication. The right posture is: document spatial-data provenance
thoroughly, share what you ethically can, and protect location privacy. Confirm the current data-
availability / sharing policy on the Taylor & Francis journal page (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).
When to trigger
- Preparing data documentation, a data-availability statement, or supplementary materials
- Deciding what spatial data can be shared given geoprivacy, IRB, license, or proprietary limits
- Documenting qualitative or restricted location data so claims remain credible
- A reviewer asked how others could verify or reproduce the spatial analysis
Spatial-data provenance (the geography-specific core)
Document enough that another geographer could locate, re-project, and rebuild the dataset:
- Sources & licenses for every layer (census, satellite, OSM, administrative, field-collected),
with access dates and terms.
- Projection / CRS and any re-projection; areal units and how they were defined or aggregated.
- Processing chain — classification, geocoding, spatial joins, resampling, filtering — as a logged,
ordered pipeline, not "cleaned in GIS."
- Temporal alignment — vintages of layers and how they were harmonized.
Geoprivacy & human subjects (overrides sharing)
- Do not publish precise locations of identifiable individuals/households; use geographic masking
(aggregation, jittering, areal reporting) and state the method.
- IRB/consent for interviews, fieldwork, and participatory mapping; protect informant and site identity.
- Sensitive sites (sacred, endangered-species, conflict) may require deliberate spatial coarsening — say so.
Reproducibility (good practice even without a pre-publication gate)
- Master script regenerates every table, figure, and map from raw/constructed data.
- README/codebook: provenance, projections, construction steps, and how to reproduce each exhibit.
- Seeds set for stochastic steps; software/package versions pinned (
renv.lock / requirements.txt).
- Restricted data: a data-availability statement explaining what is shared, what is not and why,
and an access path; provide synthetic/masked data so code can run where feasible.
Transparency posture by data type (geography-specific)
Because the Annals spans four areas, the availability expectation lands differently on different
evidence. This grid keeps the posture honest; confirm mechanics against the current T&F policy.
| Data type |
Typically shareable |
Restricted |
Provenance to document |
| Public geospatial (census, OSM) |
data + code |
none |
source, vintage, CRS, join keys |
| Satellite / DEM |
processing code + IDs |
bulk imagery (host link instead) |
sensor, dates, correction, resolution |
| Field GPS of people/sites |
masked/aggregated data |
exact coordinates |
masking method, IRB, consent |
| Interviews / ethnography |
coding scheme |
identifiable transcripts/locations |
anonymization, composite-disclosure note |
| Proprietary/licensed layers |
code + access path |
the layer itself |
license terms, how to obtain |
Checklist
Anti-patterns
- "Data cleaned in GIS" with no provenance, CRS, or processing log
- Publishing exact coordinates of vulnerable people or sensitive sites
- Claiming open data that license or geoprivacy will not permit
- Asserting an editor-verified replication mandate the policy does not state
- Un-seeded, unpinned code that "works on my machine"
Output format
【Provenance】sources + licenses + CRS + processing log documented? [Y/N]
【Geoprivacy】masking/aggregation for identifiable locations? [Y/N/NA]
【Human subjects】IRB/consent handled? [Y/N/NA]
【Reproducibility】master script + README + seeds + versions? [Y/N]
【Data-availability statement】shared / restricted (why) / access path / synthetic?
【Policy check】current T&F data policy confirmed? [Y/N/待核实]
【Next】aaag-review-process
Supplementary resources
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Annals-of-the-American-Association-of-Geographers-Skills/skills/aaag-transparency-and-data/SKILL.md
1---2name: aaag-transparency-and-data3description: Use when handling data documentation, sharing, and spatial-data ethics for an Annals of the American Association of Geographers manuscript — provenance (sources, projections, processing), reproducibility, and geoprivacy / human-subjects protection. Prepares documentation; it does not over-state a verification gate the policy does not impose.4---567# Transparency & Spatial Data (aaag-transparency-and-data)89The Annals (Taylor & Francis, for the AAG) follows publisher and disciplinary norms for **data10availability and research integrity** rather than (as at some journals) a mandatory, editor-run11replication check before publication. The right posture is: **document spatial-data provenance12thoroughly, share what you ethically can, and protect location privacy.** Confirm the current data-13availability / sharing policy on the Taylor & Francis journal page (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).1415## When to trigger1617- Preparing data documentation, a data-availability statement, or supplementary materials18- Deciding what spatial data can be shared given geoprivacy, IRB, license, or proprietary limits19- Documenting qualitative or restricted location data so claims remain credible20- A reviewer asked how others could verify or reproduce the spatial analysis2122## Spatial-data provenance (the geography-specific core)2324Document enough that another geographer could locate, re-project, and rebuild the dataset:2526- **Sources & licenses** for every layer (census, satellite, OSM, administrative, field-collected),27 with access dates and terms.28- **Projection / CRS** and any re-projection; **areal units** and how they were defined or aggregated.29- **Processing chain** — classification, geocoding, spatial joins, resampling, filtering — as a logged,30 ordered pipeline, not "cleaned in GIS."31- **Temporal alignment** — vintages of layers and how they were harmonized.3233## Geoprivacy & human subjects (overrides sharing)3435- **Do not publish precise locations** of identifiable individuals/households; use geographic masking36 (aggregation, jittering, areal reporting) and state the method.37- IRB/consent for interviews, fieldwork, and participatory mapping; protect informant and site identity.38- Sensitive sites (sacred, endangered-species, conflict) may require deliberate spatial coarsening — say so.3940## Reproducibility (good practice even without a pre-publication gate)4142- **Master script** regenerates every table, figure, and map from raw/constructed data.43- **README/codebook**: provenance, projections, construction steps, and how to reproduce each exhibit.44- **Seeds** set for stochastic steps; software/package **versions pinned** (`renv.lock` / `requirements.txt`).45- Restricted data: a **data-availability statement** explaining what is shared, what is not and why,46 and an **access path**; provide **synthetic/masked data** so code can run where feasible.4748## Transparency posture by data type (geography-specific)4950Because the Annals spans four areas, the *availability* expectation lands differently on different51evidence. This grid keeps the posture honest; confirm mechanics against the current T&F policy.5253| Data type | Typically shareable | Restricted | Provenance to document |54|-----------|---------------------|------------|------------------------|55| Public geospatial (census, OSM) | data + code | none | source, vintage, CRS, join keys |56| Satellite / DEM | processing code + IDs | bulk imagery (host link instead) | sensor, dates, correction, resolution |57| Field GPS of people/sites | masked/aggregated data | exact coordinates | masking method, IRB, consent |58| Interviews / ethnography | coding scheme | identifiable transcripts/locations | anonymization, composite-disclosure note |59| Proprietary/licensed layers | code + access path | the layer itself | license terms, how to obtain |6061## Checklist6263- [ ] Every layer's source, license, access date, and CRS documented64- [ ] Processing pipeline logged (classification/geocoding/joins/resampling)65- [ ] Geoprivacy handled — masking method stated for identifiable locations66- [ ] IRB/consent documented for human-subjects and field/participatory work67- [ ] Master script + README + seeds + pinned versions (where quantitative)68- [ ] Data-availability statement drafted; access path / synthetic data for restricted layers69- [ ] Current T&F data policy confirmed (do not assert a gate it does not impose)7071## Anti-patterns7273- "Data cleaned in GIS" with no provenance, CRS, or processing log74- Publishing exact coordinates of vulnerable people or sensitive sites75- Claiming open data that license or geoprivacy will not permit76- Asserting an editor-verified replication mandate the policy does not state77- Un-seeded, unpinned code that "works on my machine"7879## Output format8081```82【Provenance】sources + licenses + CRS + processing log documented? [Y/N]83【Geoprivacy】masking/aggregation for identifiable locations? [Y/N/NA]84【Human subjects】IRB/consent handled? [Y/N/NA]85【Reproducibility】master script + README + seeds + versions? [Y/N]86【Data-availability statement】shared / restricted (why) / access path / synthetic?87【Policy check】current T&F data policy confirmed? [Y/N/待核实]88【Next】aaag-review-process89```9091## Supplementary resources9293- [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — reproducibility tooling, repositories, and geomasking options94- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — T&F data-availability and AAG ethics references9596---9798**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Annals-of-the-American-Association-of-Geographers-Skills/skills/aaag-transparency-and-data/SKILL.md`
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