Call for Proposals for a session to be held at the Annual Conference of the Royal Geographical Society, London, 29 August to 1 September 2023
Geographies of the here and now: inquiry of the hyperlocal as afforded by Data Science and the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) has afforded the investigation of geographies at scales that have hitherto not been practicable. The relatively low cost of open-source hardware means that localized spaces can potentially be saturated with IoT sensors, with the resulting datasets analysed through modelling in Data Science. Examples include their use in monitoring microclimates in urban farming and to improve energy efficiencies in so-called ‘smart’ homes and workplaces. Vey and Storring (2022) have appropriated the term ‘hyperlocal’ to refer to “place governance in a fragmented world”, by which they describe the distinct geographies of places at the scale of downtowns, waterfronts, and innovation districts. Similarly, in a presentation at the 2020 Geography Teacher Educators’ Conference hosted by the Geographical Association, Witt has described the hyperlocal as referring to “a very small geographical community, such as … a local patch”. Matthews (2020) has reminded us that the pandemic has catalysed renewed interest in the hyperlocal and in personal geographies. This session aims to explore the intersections of such geographies (of the hyperlocal and personal) through the lenses afforded by Data Science and the Internet of Things. Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
• Methodological approaches to investigations of the hyperlocal;
• Ethical implications of the use of IoT and Data Science in such investigations;
• Empirical studies of hyperlocal and / or personal geographies;
• Personal geographies of health and well-being, particularly as seen through the lenses of IoT and Data Science; and
• Citizen science and the democratization of geographical investigation of the hyperlocal.
Enquiries to Kenneth Y T Lim (kenneth.lim at nie.edu.sg) are welcome.
Session organizer:
Name: Kenneth Y T Lim
Affiliation: National Institute of Education, Singapore
Presenters are kindly invited to submit their proposals to the session organizer by the 10th of March 2023. Proposals should minimally comprise the title of the paper, an abstract (of up to 150 words), and full contact details.