Presented at the GI Forum 2021 on behalf of the GeoDem Jean Monnet initiative: Geography democracy, European citizenship in a digital age The presentation deals with opportunities and challenges presented by Digital Geography.

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Geography, Democracy,
European citizenship and the
digital age
developing, sharing and promoting
Digital Geography
a panel discussion – part 1
Karl Donert, Project Coordinator

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Digital Geography

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Digital Geography

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Digital Geography

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Digital Geography

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Background
• GeoDem connects Geography, democracy,
European citizenship and the digital age
• geo-technology and European policies
• open data empowering citizens - Spatial
Citizenship
• connecting Spatial Thinking and Global
Understanding

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Jean Monnet Award
• European geopolitical issues
- climate change - sustainable development
- migration and the environment
• improving education in Europe
• address employability and
• digital competences

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Digital Space and
the Digital Citizen

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Emerging Digital
Spaces (Cope, 2011)

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• establishing standards (in law) – ethical
and responsible society
• dealing with challenges concerning
emergent technologies
• growth in computing power
• doing much more behind the scenes –
deep learning
Context: Digital Geography

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• open data opportunities
• potential for citizen science – grassroots
action
• Artificial Intelligence plays a growing role
in the way that governments and public
institutions operate
• also the way in which citizens interact
and participate in the democratic process
Digital Geography Opportunities

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• increased democratic engagement for
citizens
• dilemma of assisted technologies - like
autonomous vehicles
• better decision making ……
• but in the nature of challenges it is
necessity to leave essential decision-
making to humans and not to
mathematical models!!
Digital Geography Opportunities

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• really important issues concerning rights
and responsibilities eg Artificial Intelligence
• AI is already with us – changing the
information that we receive, the choices
that we make, and the ways in which our
societies function
• We need to ensure that the use of digital
technology and data driven research
promotes and protects our standards for
society - need for regulation and standards
Digital Geography Challenges

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Examples:
i) Surveillance and privacy – profiling (health, job
selection, evidence in courts, consumers)
ii) Power = Rights / Justice – need for transparency
iii) Digital as a tool for social movement - digital
protest – defend freedom of expression (journalism) -
at the same time promote the control of hatred and
terrorism – open Internet (access for all) – dangers of
cyber war
iv) Protecting our culture and heritage
Digital Geography Challenges

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• There already exist norms, regulations and
laws = but need to be implemented = who
polices them = in Europe, globally?
• Council of Europe has set up an ad hoc
Committee – exploring the challenge of
issues like intelligent politics – influencing
elections, policy and politicians
• drafting of the first global treaty on AI
• Point of contact is the Digital Citizen
Digital Geography Challenges

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Digital Geography