Organised by Chi-Mao Wang and Chih Yuan Woon

Digital technologies, including high-speed internet and satellite data, have made our world profoundly interconnected. These technologies profoundly shape our daily lives and vernacular practices; yet the infrastructures enabling the movement of information, objects, and people often remain invisible to the public. Examples include data centers, undersea cable networks, cable stations and planetary satellite systems.

The proliferation of these infrastructures brings with it critical issues and conflicts that demand geographical investigation. For instance, in Singapore and Malaysia, data centers consume vast amounts of energy, water, and land, presenting environmental and community challenges while being entangled in geopolitical tensions. Similarly, undersea cable networks, though largely out of sight, are highly susceptible to natural disasters and human interference, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and fishing activities (Chapman, 2021; Starosielski, 2015). These cables also serve as pivotal geopolitical nodes whereby they implicate issues of ownership, data access and digital standards and standardization (Woon, 2021).

Global satellite networks, which connect remote and rural areas, have become essential in modern conflict zones. However, their use in remote sensing and surveillance—through images, drones, and other technologies—raises ethical and operational questions, sparking critical remote sensing studies. Social scientists have called for more attention to this emerging sub-discipline to explore its implications (Klinger, 2021; Bennett et al., 2022; Bennett & Eiterjord, 2023; Bennett et al., 2024;).

This session seeks papers that critically examine the geographical, social, geopolitical, and environmental dimensions of digital infrastructures. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Environmental and resource impacts of digital infrastructures 

• Geopolitical implications of undersea digital infrastructures.

• Vulnerabilities of global communication networks to natural and human-made disruptions.

• The use of remote sensing technologies for surveillance, management, and governance.

• Emerging critical perspectives and conceptualizations on digital infrastructures.

We welcome contributions from a range of disciplines and methodologies that engage with these urgent and interconnected issues. Interested participants should submit an abstract of no more than 250 words to Chi-Mao Wang (chimaowang@ntu.edu.tw) and Chih Yuan Woon (chihyuan@nus.edu.sg). 

Reference:

Bennett, M. M., Chen, J. K., León, L. F. A., & Gleason, C. J. (2022). The politics of pixels: A review and agenda for critical remote sensing. Progress in Human Geography, 46(3), 729-752. doi:Artn 03091325221074691

Bennett, M. M., & Eiterjord, T. (2023). Remote control? Chinese satellite infrastructure in and above the Arctic global commons. The Geographical Journal, 189(3), 398-411. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12503

Bennett, M. M., Gleason, C. J., Tellman, B., Alvarez Leon, L. F., Friedrich, H. K., Ovienmhada, U., & Mathews, A. J. (2024). Bringing satellites down to Earth: Six steps to more ethical remote sensing. Global Environmental Change Advances, 2, 100003. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecadv.2023.100003

Chapman, B. (2021). Undersea Cables: The Ultimate Geopolitical Chokepoint. 

Klinger, J. M. (2021). Critical Geopolitics of Outer Space. Geopolitics, 26(3), 661-665. doi:10.1080/14650045.2020.1803285

Starosielski, N. (2015). The undersea network. Durham: Duke University Press.

Woon, C.Y. (2021). ‘Provincialising’ the Belt and Road Initiative: Theorising with Chinese narratives of the ‘Digital Silk Road’ (数字丝绸之路). Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 62(3): 286-290. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/apv.12320