{"id":92523,"date":"2025-11-10T11:11:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geographie.nat.fau.de\/?page_id=92523"},"modified":"2026-07-14T15:36:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:36:51","slug":"news-archiv-ng-geographien-digitaler-infrastrukturen","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.geographie.nat.fau.de\/en\/news-archiv-ng-geographien-digitaler-infrastrukturen\/","title":{"rendered":"News Archive – YRG Geographies of Digital Infrastructures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Review: RSA Conference in Gothenburg<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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14.07.2026<\/strong> – From June 15 to 18, the annual Regional Studies Conference took place in Gothenburg under the title \u201cRegions as Arenas in a Changing World\u201d. Finn Dammann and Josephine Brandenburg gave a presentation on \u201cTechnopolitics of Data Ports in the Western Mediterranean\u201d as part of a session on Global Digital Networks, organised by David Bassen, Matt Zook and Michael Grote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were able to gain many interesting insights and take away new ideas for our research project. Many thanks to the organisers for the productive exchange and the fascinating discussions!
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The Elgar Companion to the Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty \u2013 Open Access <\/strong>publication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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29.06.2026<\/strong> – In June 2026, “The Elgar Companion to the Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty: Contested Networks, Territories and Self-determination<\/a>” was published as open access. The volume was edited by Georg Glasze, Ama\u00ebl Cattaruzza, Finn Dammann and Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rick Douzet and brings together 26 articles providing a geopolitical context for the geographies of digital sovereignty in a global comparison.
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Review: Swiss Telecommunication Summit 2026 in Bern<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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29.06.2026<\/strong> – On 25 June, the Swiss Telecommunication Summit 2026 took place in Bern. At the invitation of the Swiss Telecommunications Association (asut), Dr Finn Dammann joined Dr Myriam Dunn Cavelty (Centre for Security Studies at ETH Zurich) at the Kursaal in Bern to discuss internet infrastructures as factors of power in our world, which is increasingly characterised by geopolitical conflicts and tensions \u2013 and the associated questions regarding the shaping of digital sovereignty in Switzerland. A report on the summit<\/a> can be found in Computerworld (report & photo \u00a9<\/strong> R\u00fcdiger R. Sellin).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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New journal paper in \u201eDigital Geography & Society\u201c<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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05.06.2026<\/strong> – In a new research article in the journal *Digital Geography & Society*, Boris Michel (MLU Halle-Wittenberg) and Finn Dammann examine the rapid development of a cluster of data centres in the Manila metropolitan area and situate it within the increasingly geopolitically contested market for content delivery, AI services and IP interconnection in South-East Asia. The article, entitled “Metro Manila\u2019s digital infrastructure ecosystem. Insights into critical data centre studies in the majority world” has been published as open access here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Review: Tech Show 2026 in Frankfurt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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08.05.2026<\/strong> – We have just returned from an exciting visit to the Tech Show at the Frankfurt Exhibition Centre. Companies from all over Germany and the world are showcasing their portfolios here, whilst experts from industry and academia are discussing topics ranging from cloud solutions and quantum computing to data sovereignty in presentations and panel discussions. This year, an emphasis was placed on the development of data centres and the use of AI in the private sector. Issues of sustainability, power supply and cooling stood out in particular, but security concerns such as site security, fire protection and cyber security also played a role for both customers and providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We held numerous discussions with industry insiders on the design and management of data centres, the environmental impact of this growing sector, and interconnection with the global Internet. Through the contacts made at the Tech Show, we hope to continue gaining insights into this industry in the future and to track how the trend towards AI and \u2018made in Germany\u2019 data centres develops.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Funding for doctoral student Maja Warlich from the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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05.05.2026<\/strong> – Doctoral student Maja Warlich from our working group has been selected for the funding program of the Graduate Center of the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation<\/a> (bidt). Every year, the bidt supports 25 doctoral students conducting research in the field of digital transformation and facilitates networking and further education in the field of digitization research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are very happy for Maja and excited to see what the future holds!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n


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Interdisciplinary Workshop \u201cNew Approaches to Critical Geovisualisation 2026\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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22.04.2026<\/strong> – From 4 June 2026 to 6 June 2026, the transdisciplinary workshop \u201cNew Approaches to Critical Geovisualisation 2026\u201d will take place once again this year at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the third year running, geographers, media scholars and artists will discuss the latest techniques and methods of critical mapping and present current (research) work in the fields of counter-mapping, Platial GIS, place-based GIS and spatial humanities. The workshop is once again organised by Pablo Abend, Anna Unterstab (both from Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design), Boris Michel (University of Halle), Nora K\u00fcttel (University of Bremen), Lea Bauer, Francis Harvey (both from IfL) and Finn Dammann (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We look forward to receiving your registrations by 30 April 2026 via this link.<\/a> The provisional programme can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking for student assistant for the young research group Geographies of Digital Infrastructures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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05.03.2026<\/strong> – The young research group \u201cGeographies of Digital Infrastructures\u201d led by Dr. Finn Dammann is looking for a student assistant to support its research projects starting 01 June 2025. The group\u2019s overarching research project, \u201cResilience of Digital Infrastructures \u2013 Geopolitical Conflicts Around Internet Routing,\u201d is located at the intersection of digital geography, political geography, and computer science. It currently focuses on material digital infrastructures and their spatial impacts in the western Mediterranean region. To support the individual research projects, the junior research group is seeking a motivated student assistant with an interest in this research field as well as in research-related tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All information is available at:
https:\/\/www.geographie.nat.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/260305_Ausschreibung_SHK_NG_DigInfra_Dammann.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please send your informal application, including a short CV and a brief motivation letter, by email no later than 22 March 2026 to:
geographie-ag-gdi@fau.de<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Call for Contribution: Uneven and Contested Geographies of Data Centres<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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20.01.2026<\/strong> – For this year’s Royal Geographical Society conference in London, Finn Dammann and Boris Michel (University of Halle) are organising a joint session on \u2018Uneven and Contested Geographies of Data Centres\u2019. As indispensable infrastructure for life in our increasingly data-driven world and for the organisation of digital capitalism, data centres raise a multitude of geographical questions and problems. These range from the conflictual embedding of data centres in local environments to their role in larger infrastructure constellations, urban environments and geopolitical issues such as digital sovereignty, digital colonialism and data localisation. The session will focus on conceptual and empirical contributions to critical data centre studies and research on the geography of digital infrastructures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstracts (250 words) with a short bio (50 words) can be sent to boris.michel@geo.uni-halle.de<\/a> & finn.dammann@fau.de<\/a> until 16 February 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here for the complete CfP<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Review: Annual Conference of the Working Group on Digital Geography<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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10.11.2025<\/strong> – At the beginning of November, the annual meeting of the Working Group on Digital Geography took place in Frankfurt am Main. Under the theme \u201cDigital geographies of valuation: platforms, technologies, narratives,\u201d<\/em> our young research group contributed two presentations in the session on Politics of digital infrastructures.<\/em> As the final conference of the year, the meeting was a great opportunity to gain new inspiration for our research project. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the organizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Review: Status Conference of the BMFTR in Bonn<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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10.11.2025 <\/strong>\u2013 At the beginning of November, the Federal Ministry for Technology and Space invited participants to this year\u2019s status conference of the funding line \u201cEarly-Career Research Groups in Scientific and Technical Peace and Conflict Research with a Focus on Arms Control.\u201d<\/em> Through poster presentations, the young research groups were able to showcase their respective projects and present initial interim results. The exchange across various disciplines gave us the opportunity to present and discuss our project with a transdisciplinary audience for the first time. Many thanks to the DLR project managers and the BMFTR for the productive exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Save the Date: 17. November – Book presentation “Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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20.10.2025<\/strong> – On November 17, we will present our new book \u201eThe Elgar Companion to the Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty\u201c together with colleagues from the FAU and the Parisian research group \u201eGeopolitics of the Datasphere\u201c in the Orangerie in Erlangen. The volume will be published in the spring of 2026 by Georg Glasze, Amael Cattaruzza, Finn Dammann and Frederick Douzet. For further infos, see the website<\/a> and the flyer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n


Review: International Annual Conference of the Royal Geographical Society in Birmingham<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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03.09.2025<\/strong> – Three days full of exiting presentations and new inspirations are now behind us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On day one Finn Dammann (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg) and Boris Michel (MLU Halle-Wittenberg) provided insights into their research on \u201cGeographies of Interconnection Hubs and their geopolitical embeddings.\u201d In their presentation, they demonstrated the multi-scalarity of Internet structures and their historical embedding in diverse geopolitical contexts of transport structures using material geographies of interconnection hubs in Southern Europe and the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our poster on the topic “Interconnection Hubs, Content Delivery Networks and Emerging AI Infrastructures. Insights into the material geographies of \u201cdigital ecosystems\u201d in the Western Mediterranean” was also given a prominent place at the conference venue and facilitated a lively exchange on the topic of digital geographies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In summary, we are delighted with the exciting discussions we had, the great contacts we made, and the interesting input we were able to take away from the RGS!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Contribution to Critical Infrastructure Walks in Newly Published “Handbook of Mobile Methods in Social and Spatial Research<\/strong>“<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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12.08.2025<\/strong> – In July 2025, the \u201aHandbook of Mobile Methods in Social Spatial Research\u2018 (edited by Matthias Naumann & Anke Str\u00fcver) was published with a contribution by Finn Dammann (together with Pablo Abend and Boris Michel) with the title \u201aCritical Infrastructure Walks in Dataficated Worlds\u2018. The article shows the extent to which critical infrastructure walks can serve as a method for exploring and visualising material geographies and what new perspectives can develop from making visible the necessary work of maintaining digital infrastructures or even historical instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The handbook is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Panel at the Annual Symposium of the Digital Geography Research Group,<\/em> RGS-IBG<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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19.-20.06.2025<\/strong> – For the annual conference of the RGS Working Group on Digital Geography, Finn Dammann took the lead in organizing the panel on \u201cGeopolitics of Digital Sovereignty in Global Comparison.\u201d<\/em> Together with colleagues from the Paris research center GEODE (Geopolitics of the Datasphere), we presented contributions from the new volume The Elgar Companion to the Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty: Contested Networks, Territories and Self-Determination<\/em> (to be published in summer 2025, edited by Georg Glasze, Ama\u00ebl Cattaruzza, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rick Douzet & Finn Dammann) and offered a preview of future research areas in the rapidly expanding field of LEO satellite internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See here<\/a> for more information about the panel.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Annual Conference of the Political Geography Working Group \u2013 Political Geographies in Uncertain Times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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26.05.2025<\/strong> – The Political Geography Working Group met in Freiburg from May 22 to 24, 2025, for its annual conference on this year\u2019s theme, \u201cPolitical Geographies in Uncertain Times.\u201d<\/em> In the session on the power effects of materialities, technologies, and more-than-human dynamics, we presented initial results from our research project \u201cInterconnection Hubs, Content Delivery Networks, and Emerging AI Infrastructures \u2013 Insights into the Material Geographies of Digital Colonialism in the Western Mediterranean.\u201d<\/em> The conference provided us with many new impulses for our research field, and we would like to warmly thank the organizers for the productive exchange.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Interview about the Power of Google Maps in Bavarian Cities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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19.05.2025<\/strong> – How does Google Maps influence our everyday perceptions and practices in urban spaces \u2013 and what alternative maps and geoservices are available? In an interview with the Abendzeitung M\u00fcnchen<\/em>, Finn Dammann was asked about the significance of Google Maps in Bavarian cities, the challenges of digital sovereignty over one\u2019s own (geo)data, and alternative mapping projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See here<\/a> for the online article.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Workshop: Recent Approaches to Critical Geovisualization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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12.05.2025<\/strong> – From May 8 to 10, this year\u2019s interdisciplinary workshop between geographical research and research-based design took place in Halle at the MLU Institute of Geography and the Halle University of Art and Design. Together with around 80 colleagues and students from geography, GIScience, design, media studies, and art, we discussed recent approaches to the critical mapping of social realities and infrastructures \u2013 and tested new techniques and methods in hands-on workshops. The now third workshop on critical geovisualization was organized by Pablo Abend and Anna Unterstab (both Halle University of Art and Design, Burg Giebichenstein), Boris Michel and Nora K\u00fcttel (both University of Halle), Lea Bauer (University of Leipzig), Francis Harvey (IfL), and Finn Dammann.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Funding for doctoral student Josephine Brandenburg from the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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05.05.2025<\/strong> – Josephine Brandenburg, a doctoral student in our working group, has been selected for the funding program of the Graduate Center of the @Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt). Every year, the bidt supports 25 doctoral students conducting research in the field of digital transformation and facilitates networking and further education in the field of digitization research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are very happy for Josephine and are excited to see what the future holds!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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