Suchergebnisse

"Everything happens somewhere", a popular phrase nowadays to emphasize the importance of good and reliable geographic information. National Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDI) are popping up in many countries in the world as governments realize that a wealth of geo-data is produced, but that this data is not known or available to other organizations. An NSDI channels this information to the users. Availability of geo-information and efficiency in the production are the key drivers. Another big driver is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). To monitor the development of the progress of the SDG's, a wealth of statistical information on economic, social and environmental phenomena is collected. All this data is referring to a specific place on earth. Therefore, good and reliable geo-information is critical for the development of the SDG's of a country. Topographic maps describe the land that belongs to a country, its sovereign territory. But they are also used for orientation, for the defense of your country, as a time stamp of how your country looks like at a specific moment in time, and many other applications. Topographic maps are therefore an indispensable asset in an NSDI. They link thematic information of any kind to a specific location. It is this location that is the linking pin to many other sources of information. However, the reality of today is that many developing countries lack any up-to-date topographic maps. They have to rely on old maps, often produced more than 40 years ago; there is no money or, more importantly, no expertise available to update these maps. In other cases, they rely on online mapping sources like Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, etc. These are good, but consistency in quality is an issue. Some countries already have topographic maps, but these date back from colonial times, and were not updated ever since. Others produce specific map series but are depending on the availability of reliable source material, like aerial photos and satellite imagery, purchased by the government. Or in some cases they have to organize partnerships with other national institutions to be able to purchase the necessary photo's or imagery. Regular maintenance of these maps is then often a real issue. In general, every country has its own development stage, but when it comes to topographic mapping, it can be classified into 4 stages: 1. No topographic map available 2. Out of date analogue topographic map available 3. Digital, but out of date topographic map available 4. Digital and recent topographic map available This paper describes these different stages of official map production that exist in countries around the world, each stage with its own characteristics, timeframe, roadmap and needs. It is not focusing on the technology but concentrates on the institutional aspects of topographic map production and what could be done to develop the production processes into sustainable work procedures.

The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs.In Colombia, analog free-to-air television is still by far the most influential source of news. Digitization seems to be increasing both the quantity and range of news and the total public consumption of media as many traditional outlets now have online versions, while some new online only outlets have been born in recent years and gained recognition as news providers. Internet use is increasing very fast in urban areas and higher socioeconomic groups.Public media have been strengthened in recent years and public service provision is considered an important issue in Colombia. The transition to digital terrestrial television (DTT) is seen as both a challenge and an opportunity to public media. Digital activism too has grown in Colombia, and active internet users have proved the power of social networking, which has become very popular. Political debates and hostage rescue operations have, among others, triggered big digital mobilizations, especially on Facebook and Twitter.The policy and regulatory framework for digital media is still being defined as the media regulatory framework itself is functional, but there are several procedural flaws in the implementation.

The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs.In Moldova, the combination of digitization and political change has increased the diversity of media outlets and their news, the plurality of opinions, and the transparency of public institutions, while it has diminished political interference in the media.Yet the lack of independence of regulatory institutions, the nontransparent media ownership structure, and the slow pace of digital switch-over continue to undermine these achievements.In order to reinforce positive change, this report proposes four kinds of reform. Firstly, the legal framework for digital switch-over must be completed in the near future if the country is to be ready for the transition before the switch-off date. The provisions for public interest, access, and affordability should be given priority and, for this purpose, participation of civil society groups in the drafting process is vital. This framework will also speed up the adoption of the new Broadcasting Code, a historic document that will end the era of non-transparent media ownership, the second area that needs urgent reform.Thirdly, with public awareness of the purpose and implications of switch-over virtually nonexistent, an information campaign and public debate on the issue need to start without delay. Finally, the independence of two key institutions, the Broadcasting Coordinating Council and the PSB, needs to be strengthened. In both cases, this can be done by changing funding models and adopting clearer regulatory safeguards against government interference.

Microlending (microcredit and microcredit) presents a complex, 'glocal' phenomenon meeting social concerns (poverty and community development) versus commercial interests, manifesting a myriad of practices and trends worldwide. This paper elaborates the concept of 'issue trajectory', enhanced by topological thinking, to understand the becoming of microlending and to consider possibilities for change. The issue trajectory maps microlending's proliferation and divergence between 1980 and 2015, using an analytical lens drawing on a combination of the topological dimensions of mutability and mobility and Latour's Dingpolitik. Using this lens, the study reveals how the continual grounding and proliferation of practices of microlending meet global drives towards standardization and financialization, and how this results in 'problematization gaps' between social and commercial aims. Through adaptation as well as confrontation, these gaps bend microlending's issue trajectory towards new political modalities and publics, and potentially new forms of territorialization.

Power is […] a contested terrain where different notions of power are put into play and debated by researchers. And current change in adult education and learning policies and practices calls for further such debate. We have used the concept of 'mapping' as part of the title for this thematic issue, so as to signify the need to map power, i.e. to describe the working of power within practices of adult education and learning. To create debate, there is a need for 'description', made by drawing on the different theorizations of power. For this thematic issue we have thus invited papers that engage in mapping power in adult education and learning. (DIPF/Orig.)

This article aims to problematize some of the common assumptions within the dominant discourse on statelessness, such as the hegemonic framework of the international state system and the conceptualization of the state as an emancipatory actor, by using sociological notions of citizenship and nationalism to provide a more nuanced framework of understanding. Through a sociological lens, citizenship is considered a concept beyond formal legal status and as one heavily intertwined with notions of nationhood, and as a concept which can be utilized as a political tool. The paper argues that it is necessary to consider a sociological understanding of statelessness alongside a legal understanding of the issue in order to be able to address the complexities of statelessness.

The complexity of sustainability issues prompts both science and policy‐making to broaden their methodologies in finding solutions to problems of environmental, social and economic sustainability. In the realms of post‐normal science, quests to find adequate answers to everyday challenges happen in an issue‐driven, policy‐oriented manner where the issue of involving the widest possible range of stakeholders is of utmost importance. Participatory systems mapping is a new type of participatory technique, which has emerged in the last few years. In such a process, participants jointly devise diagrams on a topical issue and develop policy recommendations. The paper discusses an experiment applying this method concerning the issue of sustainable consumption. The authors point out that systems mapping has many significant features that can enrich participatory methodologies. However, the participatory potential of systems mapping might be limited because it can be demanding for groups with lower levels of knowledge capital. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Self- and mutual-help by citizens are important as well as social-help from the local governments, for disaster prevention and mitigation. Then, town watching and disaster prevention map-making workshops are held to review the town and promote self- and mutual-help by citizens. On the other hand, the use of social media for information sharing during and after disasters has been gaining attention. To facilitate information sharing in disasters, we developed a web system, Disaster Information Tweeting and Mapping System (DITS/DIMS). From the above background, we organized a town-watching workshop using DITS/DIMS in October 2018 in Minami Ward, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan ; affected area of the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake in September 2018. In this paper, we explain the workshop procedure, outcome, questionnaire survey results, and post-meeting. The questionnaire survey result shows that the workshop educated the participants about posting useful information on social media during a disaster. In addition, at the post-meeting, the participants recognized that they had reviewed the town only from the perspective of &ldquo ; daily life&rdquo ; convenience before the earthquake, and they had not evaluated the &ldquo ; emergency viewpoint.&rdquo ; Therefore, the workshop was a meaningful opportunity for the participants to review the town in terms of disaster prevention and mitigation.

More than ever, there is a need from policy and decision makers, national governments, non-governmental organizations, international initiatives, scientists, and individual citizens for timely and accurate spatially-explicit information on Earth&rsquo ; s physical surface cover and the socio-economic function of land at multiple scales [.]

The so-called hotspots—identification and registration centres on the Aegean Islands in Greece and in Italy—are not only sites of remote detention, European intervention or differential inclusion, but also logistical set-ups, where data is generated and spread across state institutions. Such socio-technical assemblages are hard to research not only because of state actors' desire to keep things secret but also because of methodological issues. How does one disentangle their extensive, complex and rhizomatic nature? Which trajectories does one follow and which actors and voices does one assemble? Following recent work in the realm of STS, methods are understood as (b)ordering devices, which performatively enact an ordered world and produce accounts of the social, including some realities while excluding others. This article considers mapping a well-suited method for studying widespread socio-technical assemblages, but only if it is handled with caution. Based on an empirical inquiry into the Moria hotspot and following a praxeographic research approach, different types of small maps are developed that enfold complexity by being attentive to situatedness, symmetry, multi-sitedness and multiplicity. Furthermore, it emphasizes an on-going process of reflexive inversion of the mapping process that makes the crafted accounts contestable and its boundaries and blind spots visible. Finally, the article discusses how mappings can be used not only as research but also as a political device that contributes to the work of other collectives beyond the scientific production of truth.

"This volume addresses the concept of "(in)nocent lies" in the media - beyond the concept of misleading information online, this extends to a deliberate effort to spread misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories - and proposes a critical approach to tackle the issue in related interdisciplinary fields. The book takes a multidisciplinary and international approach, addressing the digital divide and global inequality, as well as algorithmic bias, how misinformation harms vulnerable groups, social lynching and the effect of misinformation on certain social, political and cultural agendas, among other topics. Arranged thematically, the chapters paint a nuanced and original picture of this issue. This book will be of interest to students and academics in the areas of digital media, media and politics, journalism, development studies, gender and race"--