Understanding Spatial Media

Book excerpt: Over the past decade, a new set of interactive, open, participatory, and networked spatial media have become widespread. These include mapping platforms, virtual globes, user-generated spatial databases, geodesign and architectural and planning tools, urban dashboards and citizen reporting geosystems, augmented reality media, and locative media. Collectively, these produce and mediate spatial big data and are reshaping spatial knowledge, spatial behavior, and spatial politics. Understanding Spatial Media brings together leading scholars from around the globe to examine these new spatial media, their attendant technologies, spatial data, and their social, economic, and political effects. The 22 chapters are divided into the following sections: Spatial media technologies Spatial data and spatial media The consequences of spatial media Understanding Spatial Media is the perfect introduction to this fast emerging phenomena for students and practitioners of geography, urban studies, data science, and media and communications.