e lec . Jou nal o In eg a ed Design Resea ch
Volume 1 (2023)
Epidemic Geog aphies
Finn S e ens
e lec . Jou nal o In eg a ed Design Resea ch
Volume 1 (2023), A icle 2
Epidemic Geog aphies
Finn S e ens
Da e o Publica ion: No embe 14 h, 2023
DOI : h ps://doi.o g/10.57684/COS-1225
URN: u n:nbn:de:hbz:832-cos4-12251
h ps:// e lec .o g
Edi o ial boa d
P o . D . Lasse Sche ig (chai )
P o . D . Ca olin Hö le
P o . Michael Gais
Simon Meienbe g
Da id Sie e ding
Ma in Sis ig
Tex co ec ion
Jacob Wa son
Technische Hochschule Köln
Köln In e na ional School o Design
Ubie ing 40
50678 Köln
h ps:// h-koeln.de
h ps://kisd.de
Au ho
Finn S e ens
hello@ inn-s e ens.de
This pape has been published elec onically ia Cologne Open Science, he open access eposi o y o Cologne
Uni e si y o Applied Sciences. h ps://cos.bibl. h-koeln.de/
This pape is based on he inal hesis by he au ho which has been supe ised by P o . D . Ca olin Hö le and
P o . D . Lasse Sche ig
FINN STEFFENS, EPIDEMIC GEOGRAPHIES RRRREFLECT
1 OF 10
Epidemic Geog aphies
As he Co id-19 pandemic began o un old in
sp ing 2020, go e nmen s ac oss he wo ld
ealized ha d as ic app oaches we e needed o
con ain he sp ead o a i us whose scale was
unpa alleled in decades. While many s a es
in oduced lockdowns ha aimed o minimize
in ec ions by shu ing down public li e, ano he
app oach was o ace con ac s be ween in ec ed
and non-in ec ed pe sons, enabling a a ge ed
ins ead o gene al qua an ine. Wha hen became
known as
con ac acing
ini ially began by asking
in ec ed indi iduals o places hey had isi ed and
people hey ha e me , bu la e on was au oma ed
by using he ci izens’ own sma phones o collec
his da a. In mos s a es, his sma phone-based
con ac acing was achie ed using pee - o-pee
Blue oo h echnology. Fo his, whene e wo
people using he espec i e app came in close
con ac , hei phones would exchange
pseudonymized iden i ie s and ( o mos s a es)
eco d hem locally on he use s’ mobile de ices.
In case o in ec ion, he app would hen no i y all
eco ded connec ions so ha hei use s we e able
o isola e hemsel es o a oid u he sp eading o
he i us. Howe e , a di e en app oach was
chosen by he Sou h Ko ean au ho i ies who no
only sa ed hose connec ions in a cen alized
da abase bu also used he de ices’ GPS
in o ma ion o eco d in ec ed indi iduals’
geog aphical posi ions. This da a was hen used o
map in ec ion cases in na ional epidemic
ca og aphies, accessible h ough public websi es
such as www.co onamap.si e. This app oach
p o ed o be pa icula ly success ul as i helped
Sou h Ko ea o elax i s lockdown mon hs ea lie
han mos o he coun ies.
The e a e wo hings a s ake in his essay: Fi s , I
ask why he Sou h Ko ean app oach o con ac
acing has been so success ul in i s u iliza ion o
ca og aphies o mi iga e he epidemic. While my
s udy main ains a ocus on u ban spaces whe e he
i us sp eads he quickes and hus apid
app oaches o epidemic mi iga ion a e needed
he mos , I a gue ha pa o he answe is ha he
Sou h Ko ean au ho i ies ea ly on ha e
unde s ood he epidemic as a new and dis inc
elemen in he mul ilaye ed web o in as uc u es
ha o ganize u ban li e and spaces. In sec ion A
o his essay I ollowingly e ace why he
epidemic has o be unde s ood as in as uc u e
i sel by ou lining how i de elops simila
p inciples o spa ial o ganiza ion as o he u ban
ac o s. Speci ically, his is done in compa ison o
he anspo a ion se ice Ube ’s dynamic p icing
model
Su ge
. Su ge p icing p o ides i s use s wi h
maps ha , acco ding o demand in speci ic a eas,
clus e he ci y in o zones o a ying p ices. I
ou line how Ube ’s maps a e es uc u ing he
economical, ju isdic ional, and poli ical models o
u ban li e as hey di ide he ci y in o a ious zones
de ined by he company’s algo i hmic
de e mina ion. Following his, he hypo hesis o
his sec ion is ha he Sou h Ko ean ca og aphies
ha e been so success ul in epidemic mi iga ion
because hey ope a e in a e y simila way. Ins ead
o being me ely depic ions o he coun y’s
epidemic geog aphies – a kind o in og aphic –,
hey we e used as ope a i e ools o u ban
na iga ion: bo h on he scale o he indi idual
mo ing h ough he ci y while a oiding high-
in ec ion loca ions, bu also on he scale o
legisla i e u ban planning seeking ways o educe
clus e s in he i s place.
In sec ion B, I i s ou line how he Sou h Ko ean
app oach a ies om Blue oo h-based con ac
acing applied by mos o he s a es no only in i s
spa ial bu also in i s empo al ope a ion. While
he o me p o ides a ool o be ac i ely used by
unin ec ed indi iduals, he la e only passi ely
eco ds (possible) in ec ions and hus does no
wo k as such a p e en i e ool. I hen go on o ask
i also o he Blue oo h-based app oach, a simila
ool could be de eloped ha enables ac i e
p e en ion while main aining a ocus on
decen aliza ion. To answe his ques ion, I am
compa ing bo h app oaches o con ac acing o
an old dispu e o wo di e en concep ions o
space, which s a ed wi h he wo con empo a ies
Go ied Wilhelm Leibniz and Isaac New on: The
i s ad oca ed o a ela i is unde s anding o
space (which I se analog o Blue oo h-based
con ac acing), he la e a gued o an absolu is
no ion o space (which I se analog o he Sou h
Ko ean loca ion-based app oach). Bo h, howe e ,
de eloped hei spa ial concep ions based on he
posi ion
o hings. Agains his backd op, I a gue
ha while he Blue oo h-based con ac acing
apps a e lacking any posi ional de e mina ion, he
[1]
[2]
[3]
FINN STEFFENS, EPIDEMIC GEOGRAPHIES RRRREFLECT
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Sou h Ko ean maps’ success lies no in hei
choice o geog aphic ep esen a ion bu in hei
ocus on he posi ion o in ec ed indi iduals. In
e e ence o Leibniz’ concep o space, sec ion B
hus asks: Wha would a non-geog aphical map
look like ha enables Blue oo h-based con ac
acing o p e en i e mi iga ion o he epidemic?
How can i be made p oduc i e, bu a he same
ime, wha p oblems o social s igma iza ion would
i en ail?
FIG 1 The Sou h Ko ean websi e www.co onamap.si e maps
in ec ed pe sons’ posi ions as a ca og aphic o e lay. ©
h ps://www.co onamap.si e
FIG 2 S ill om he ideo wo k 1 accompanying he essay.
Ube ’s Su ge p icing in San F ancisco. Red lines isualize
exempla y Ube ides, Hexagons he H3 coo dina e sys em,
numbe s he p icing ac o . © Finn S e ens
A – Absolu e Geog aphies
Visi ing www.co onamap.si e, a popula websi e
used daily by many Sou h Ko eans du ing he
epidemic, one sees a map o he coun y o e layed
wi h many g een, o ange, and ed do s, indica ing
cases o Co id-19 in ec ion. Zooming in, hese
do s a e ma king loca ions accu a e o he
indi idual house. Zooming ou , hey ga he o
o m clus e s o di e en sizes and in ensi ies.
Wha we see he e is wha I call he
epidemic laye
which I unde s and as he o ali y o in ec ed
pe sons’ posi ions in he ci y ha collec i ely
c ea e a kind o ne wo k ha supe imposes he
u ban geog aphy. As www.co onamap.si e
isualizes, he epidemic laye can be imagined as a
dis inc o e lay which ende s new ma ke s on op
o he exis ing ca og aphic layou , seemingly
independen om he a ious laye s below (see ig.
01).
To unde s and why exac ly he epidemic laye is in
ac no independen om he ci y’s
in as uc u es, p ocesses, and a o dances – in
o he wo ds, u ban space i sel –, some heo e ical
de i a ions a e necessa y o es ablish a sui able
amewo k o discuss he epidemic laye ’s
geog aphical e ec s. Fo www.co onamap.si e,
mapping loca ions wi h high and low densi ies o
in ec ion cases p oduces wha I call
di ec ional
spaces
. In hei mos p ominen o m, di ec ional
spaces ake he o m o zones ha a e clus e ed
acco ding o de ined pa ame e s, as, in his case,
[4]
FINN STEFFENS, EPIDEMIC GEOGRAPHIES RRRREFLECT
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he a e o in ec ion cases. Those zones isible in
he Sou h Ko ean ca og aphies a e ( e-)mapping
ac o s o inclusion and exclusion as well as
a ac ion and epulsion in he u ban geog aphy
ha al e he way people a e na iga ing he ci y.
The ollowing sec ion will discuss his epidemic
di ision o he ci y in e e ence o he concep o
he
new u ban zone
which will help ou lining how
he epidemic de elops simila p inciples o spa ial
o ganiza ion as o he u ban ac o s.
The New U ban Zone
Di iding he u ban landscape in o a ious kinds o
zones has been a common p ac ice in ci y
planning o a long ime. As i sepa a es di e en
kinds o pe mi ed and p ohibi ed land uses (e.g.,
esiden ial o indus ial), i lays ou dis inc
dis ic s as adjacen a eas ha o ganize he ci y’s
layou . Howe e , o e ecen yea s, a mo e
in o mal zoning o he u ban opog aphy has
eme ged h ough he es ablishmen o p i a ized
se ices as geog aphical ac o s: Ube s i es o
abso b all pe sonal anspo a ion se ices, Ai Bnb
es uc u es he housing ma ke , and Deli e oo
and Foodo a eloca e he en i e gas onomical
sec o . Each o hese pla o ms on hei own, bu
also all o hem oge he , engende a
ea angemen o he u ban condi ion o which a
ju isdic ional esponse can o en only be
o mula ed e ospec i ely. Fo example, as Ai Bnb
blu s he bounda ies be ween lodging and
esiden ial use, legal decisions ha e o be made
whe he o e ed accommoda ions should be
allowed in esiden ial zones o no . And while
hese much-needed legal amewo ks a e s ill
being deba ed, he gen i ying e ec s o he
se ice a e al eady c ea ing new laye s on op o
he adi ional opog aphical zones o
es uc u ing hem al oge he .
This new kind o u ban zone may be empo a y o
pe manen , planned o eme gen . In any case, i
o ms new e ical laye s as mul iple zones may
e y well be placed a he same geog aphical
loca ion. They a e mapped o e he u ban
opog aphy, s acked on op o each o he and hen
old back in o one ano he : Thei indi idual
modes o spa ial o ganiza ion o en do no ope a e
independen ly bu in e wine and p oduce new
a angemen s in hei in e ac ions. The u ban
zone is a di ec ional space pe se, ye i s egimes
o inclusion and exclusion may a y om social,
economic, legal, o poli ical implica ions.
In cu en u ban esea ch, mainly legal and
comme cial clus e s o he pla o m economy a e
conside ed as o ming hese new kinds o zones.
Howe e , in he ollowing, I will a gue ha he
epidemic geog aphies ep esen ed in he Sou h
Ko ean ca og aphies p oduce zones wi h e y
simila cha ac e is ics o o ganizing spa ial
condi ions o economic o poli ical u ban zones.
In his sense, he Sou h Ko ean app oach o
geoposi ional con ac acing can be compa ed o
a dynamic p icing model o he public
anspo a ion company Ube . The company’s
p icing model
Su ge
c ea es dynamic zones in he
d i e s’ and use s’ mobile maps, o e ing highe
ea nings, espec i ely cha ging highe p ices, in
a eas wi h g ea e demand. Ube ames his
me hod as “ ebalancing he ma ke place”. Based
on he numbe o use s’ inqui ies and d i e s
logged on o he sys em, he p ice calcula ing
algo i hm is “speci ic o di e en a eas in a ci y, so
some neighbo hoods may ha e su ge p icing a
he same ime as o he neighbo hoods do no ”.
Fo his pu pose, he company de eloped i s e y
own geog aphical coo dina e sys em
H3
. Based on
a hexagonal shape, i di ides he plane in o equal
a eas while main aining a lexible esolu ion. F om
he scale o he globe down o he “hype -local
ma ke place”, H3 allows Ube o assign dynamic
p ices o indi idual hexagons o accu a ely
compile mul iple hexagons o la ge zones. While
in he ines esolu ion, he hexagon’s edge leng h
can be less han a me e , Ube usually deploys a
base esolu ion o one ci y block.
[5]
[5:1]
[5:2]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
FINN STEFFENS, EPIDEMIC GEOGRAPHIES RRRREFLECT
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FIG 3 S ill om ideo 1. The pandemic laye o e Seoul.
Visualiza ion o da a by he Sou h Ko ean Cen e s o Disease
Con ol and P e en ion. Yellow lines indica e pa ien s’ ou es,
numbe s pseudonymized iden i ie s. © Finn S e ens
He e, he zone is mani es ed in he o e lay o
many indi idual mo emen s; i is ende ed as an
accumula i e geog aphy as i dynamically
esponds o he spa ial dis ibu ion o use
demand (see ig. 03). This ma ke -based
con igu a ion o he ci y has immedia e
implica ions on he ac ions o d i e s and use s,
bu i has he po en ial o change he u ban
geog aphy long- e m, mapping a eas wi h highe
demand as ci y zones o g ea e impo ance.
While no bound o his o ical u ban dis ic s o
he o malized zones o ci y planning, mapping
hese zones’ bounda ies p oduces new u ban
ela ions ha di ide he geog aphic space e y
much in he same way as he o me o icial
ca ego iza ions do. Fo Ube , in o ma ion abou
he pa e ns is no only o g ea alue o hei
algo i hms bu has g own o be a s andalone by-
p oduc wi h he launch o he
Ube Mo emen s
b and. Add essing “ci ies as a cus ome ”, Ube
ad e ises his p oduc as o e ing new insigh s
in o mobili y and anspo a ion o ci y planning.
Ye hei ma ke ing slogans ail o men ion ha
his is Ube ’s own ype o mobili y ha s ic ly
ollows he algo i hmic de e mina ion.
The Epidemic Laye
Fo Sou h Ko ea’s Co id-19 ca og aphies, he
insc ip ion o he posi ions o in ec ed pe sons
mani es s i sel simila ly o Ube ’s zones by
accumula ions o supply and demand. In he
conjoined isualiza ion o he indi idual poin s, a
pa e n in he ci y becomes appa en ha , jus like
Ube , does no me ely exis as an independen
laye bu ac i ely in luences o he u ban spa ial
p ocesses (see ig. 04). Fo he case o he posi ion
de e mina ion by he Sou h Ko ean ca og aphies,
his can di ec ly guide o ien a ion and na iga ion
on a small scale, as some ou es may appea sa e
han o he s. On a la ge scale, howe e , his can
also lead o a eas wi h a pa icula ly high numbe
o in ec ed pe sons being a oided and a eas wi h a
lowe in ec ion a e being isi ed mo e equen ly.
Thus, o ci izens wi h a pa icula ly high isk o
in ec ion, hese maps d aw zones ha hey may
no be able o en e a all.
Reconside ing he ini ial ema ks, hese p ocesses
p oduce di ec ional spaces ha map new ac o s
o inclusion and exclusion on o he u ban
geog aphy. Bu in con as o he o iginally s a ic
concep o he zone, hese spaces a e cons i u ed
dynamically, possibly e en in eal ime. These new
zones a e no longe bound o he adminis a i e
o de bu only eme ge in he accumula i e
supe imposi ion o many indi idual ac o s.
Howe e , his is no o say ha he cons i u ion o
new u ban opog aphies is ee om geog aphical
es uc u ing o he scope o ju isdic ion. Co id-19
e y explici ly showed how he eme gence o
epidemic zones leads o a agmen a ion o he
legal si ua ion which ies o eac o he di e en
condi ions in he indi idual zones.
S ill, clus e s o high in ec ion a es co ela e wi h
o he aspec s o he ci y geog aphy, e.g., densely
popula ed dis ic s o con ac -in ense wo k
en i onmen s. The epidemic laye is as much
ca ied by he u ban in as uc u e as i is pa o i
i sel : In Kelle Eas e ling’s wo ds, he epidemic
ac s like “spa ial so wa e” ha o ganizes many
o i s su ounding p ocesses. Only in his case,
i s disposi ions shaping u ban space a e any hing
bu subliminal. Wi h cons an news co e age and,
speci ically in Sou h Ko ea, daily in o ma ional
ex messages om he go e nmen , hese
disposi ions o u ban o ganiza ion and es ic ion
a e appa en as ne e be o e. Jus as Eas e ling
desc ibes in as uc u e space, he epidemic laye
yields “an in e play o ac i e o ms” whose “objec
o design is no a single o m bu an appa a us o
shaping many o ms”.
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[13:1]
FINN STEFFENS, EPIDEMIC GEOGRAPHIES RRRREFLECT
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FIG 4 S ill om ideo 1. B igh e a eas indica e a highe densi y
o in ec ion cases. © Finn S e ens
Hea map U banism
As al eady s a ed, he da a o bo h he pa ien s’
posi ions in he Sou h Ko ean con ac acing and
he ou es o Ube ’s d i e s a e ep esen ed as
o e lays on he s anda d u ban ca og aphic
layou . In i s agg ega ed s a e, his da a is o en
isualized as hea maps, di e en ia ing a eas wi h
dense amoun s o da a poin s om a eas wi h
ela i ely ew poin s (see ig. 05). Ye hese
hea maps a e no simply s a is ical
ep esen a ions, no jus in og aphics o u ban
in as uc u es and social in e ac ions. These
maps hemsel es a e pa o he cons i uen ci cle,
he eedback loop, o u ban space: They a ec he
beha io o he indi idual in he lesse scale and
o ci y planning in he la ge scale. The di ec ional
spaces, hus, a e only cons i u ed by he
simul aneous spa ial isualiza ion o da a when
d awing he map. As ema ked by he de elope o
he Sou h Ko ean www.co onamap.si e, his da a
would emain ine ec i e in i s abula
ep esen a ion. In his sense, hese
accumula i e ca og aphies p oduce he e y
u ban space hey claim o ep esen .
FIG 5 Du ing he pandemic, also Google Maps has adop ed a
ca og aphic in e ace o pandemic na iga ion, li e ally as a
‘co id laye ’. On a la ge scale, his shows egional numbe s o
in ec ion as hea maps. On a smalle scale, he se ice now
indica es ‘busy a eas’, allowing o make conscious choices o
u ban o ien a ion. In ea ly 2023, wi h a declining pandemic
bo h ea u es a e no longe a ailable. © Google
Thus, I a gue ha he adi ional model o
ca og aphy delimi ing adjacen zones is
insu icien o unde s anding he geog aphical
dynamics o he p ocesses discussed abo e. This is
due o he ac ha he new u ban zones a e no
longe p oduced by he nomos o he di iding line:
These dynamical and di ec ional spaces a e no
cons i u ed h ough di ec i e o de bu eme ge as
he esul o many indi idual p ocesses, o which a
ju isdic ional esponse can o en only be
o mula ed e ospec i ely. These p ocesses –
he e, epidemic con ac acing as well as Ube ’s
demand and supply p icing – a e no longe bound
o any adjacency, bu only become e ec i e as
hey in e sec and o e lay one ano he . Each laye
on i s own is a sys em o many poin s and lines
connec ing he poin s. And while u ban space can
be ega ded as he a angemen o many laye s
s acked on op o each o he , he p e ious ema ks
made i clea ha he e ical is again s ic ly
bound o he ho izon al: Only h ough he
ho izon al ela edness – and hus h ough he
disposi ions o he indi idual laye s – do he
e ical o ganiza ion become e ec i e. As hese
laye s cons i u e spa ial ela ions in hei
in e ac ions, hey old back in o each o he ,
p oducing u ban space in hei in e sec ions and
supe imposi ions, hei ampli ica ions and
con adic ions.
B – Rela i e Topog aphies
So a , sec ion A o his essay has discussed he
epidemic in i s capaci y o eo ganize u ban
spaces and how map-based con ac acing is
success ul p ecisely because i acknowledges and
[15]
FINN STEFFENS, EPIDEMIC GEOGRAPHIES RRRREFLECT
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u ilizes his. Fo his app oach, one keywo d is
c ucially impo an : posi ion. Fo Sou h Ko ea, he
posi ion o in ec ed pe sons is he ocus o he
go e nmen ’s measu es. By knowing he posi ion
o in ec ed pe sons, he con ou s o i us ho spo s
can be deduced which hus enables o d aw
connec ions be ween he epidemic and he ci y’s
s uc u al disposi ions. Howe e , he p e ious
sec ion o his essay s ic ly emained wi hin a
geog aphical concep o space. In geog aphical
space, posi ion is a nume ical a ibu e o hings,
people, o places, usually de e mined wi hin he
wo-dimensional a ay o la i ude and longi ude.
In he ollowing sec ion, I will heo e ically ou line
how posi ion as a concep can also be deployed o
con ac acing wi hou he e e ence o
geog aphical space o hen use his discussion o
de elop a specula i e ca og aphy o Blue oo h-
based con ac acing.
Re oac i e e sus P e en i e Epidemic
Mi iga ion
In i s basic applica ion, con ac acing ocuses on
people who a e unknowingly in ec ed as i aims o
isola e hem o educe u he ansmissions.
While he Sou h Ko ean maps a e doing exac ly
his, hey also p o ide means o hose no in ec ed,
allowing hem o a oid con ac wi h he i us in
he i s place. I call his a
p e en i e
app oach, as
i shi s he ocus om hose in ec ed o hose no
in ec ed. Indeed, he main eason why
go e nmen s deployed Blue oo h-based ins ead o
loca ion-based con ac acing a e di e en
con en ions o da a p i acy as he o me does
nei he e eal he pe son’s iden i y no elies on
he cen alized collec ion o da a, as i is only wo
phones ha a e exchanging pseudonymized
iden i ie s. Bu his enuncia ion o loca ion also
mean he enuncia ion o ca og aphical, and hus
p e en i e, ways o con aining he epidemic.
The nex sec ion add esses he lack o epidemic
maps in Blue oo h-based con ac acing and
specula es on possible app oaches o non-
geog aphical epidemic ca og aphies. Fo his, I
will discuss how he concep o posi ion can s ill
p o ide a iable e e ence i i s ocus on he
geog aphical is eplaced wi h he ela ional. I
success ul, he de eloped ca og aphic concep
no only poses ques ions, issues, and oppo uni ies
o symbolic ep esen a ion o he epidemic, bu
also con ibu es o wha is missing in Blue oo h-
based con ac acing: ac i e p e en ion o
unin ec ed pe sons.
Non-geog aphical Spaces
In a
Science
a icle om 2013, Di k B ockmann,
cu en head o he p ojec g oup
Epidemiologically Modeling o In ec ious
Diseases
o he Ge man
Robe Koch Ins i u e
,
and ellow esea che Di k Helbing a gue o
“ eplacing con en ional geog aphic dis ance by a
measu e o e ec i e dis ance” o achie e mo e
accu a e epidemiological models. They e e o he
p oximi y o wo places no by hei geog aphical
loca ions bu by hei connec edness ia s ong
links, e.g., long-dis ance anspo a ion ne wo ks.
This link may be mo e o a ac o in sp eading he
i us han indi idual a ic o ano he nea by ci y.
FIG 6 People lining up o a supe ma ke in Chulucanas, Pe u.
© h ps://www.ins ag am.com/p/B_EjkcPJE8 /
Deploying e ec i e dis ance app oaches means
eplacing he geog aphical wi h a non-
geog aphical space o mo e accu a e
[16]
[16:1]
FINN STEFFENS, EPIDEMIC GEOGRAPHIES RRRREFLECT
7 OF 10
epidemiological modeling. The concep indica es
ha knowledge abou he cha ac e is ics o
geog aphical space is o en jus no necessa y o
acili a e epidemic o ien a ion and na iga ion.
Hence, one o he mos p ominen ecen global
impe a i es has been o main ain wo-me e s
dis ance ela i e o each o he (see ig. 06). As he
wo ld eo ganized a ound his new no m, an old
deba e a ound di e en no ions o space
esu aced ha has a long his o y, bo h in he
ields o physics and sociology. In
The Sociology
o Space
, Ma ina Löw illus a es he con o e sy
o e absolu e and ela i e concep s o space by he
dispu e be ween he con empo a ies Isaac New on
and Go ied Wilhelm Leibniz. While he o me
p esupposed a igid concep o space ha saw i as
a con aine o hings o be placed in, he la e on
he con a y saw space as esul ing only om he
ela ions be ween hose hings. I hen may
seem coun e in ui i e ha Leibniz desc ibes space
as he “quin essence o possible posi ions in
gene al”. Howe e , he p o ides a decisi e
ein e p e a ion o he concep o posi ion ha is
in luen ial o he no ion o posi ion o be
de eloped he e: Ins ead o de ining he posi ion o
a poin in emp y space as New on did, Leibniz
desc ibes i s posi ion by ela ing i o he posi ions
o o he poin s. While hese hemsel es s ill
ep esen sca e ed indi idual en i ies, o him
space in oduces he o de ing p inciple ha
o ganizes hei ela ions. F om his hough
Leibniz de i es a p inciple which will p o e o
cen al impo ance o he discussion o
Blue oo h-based con ac acing: Wi h he
co ela ion be ween posi ion and ela ion, i also
esul s ha space is no longe a s a ic cons uc
independen o an obse e bu is cons i u ed
di e en ly om di e en pe spec i es.
Fo Leibniz, his leads o he ejec ion o any
spa ial concep ion in coo dina e sys ems. Ye
con e sely, in he con ex o his essay, he alue
o coo dina e sys ems should be main ained, bu
only unde he p emise ha hei “di ec ion” has
o be in e ed: He e, he indi idual does no mo e
in space, bu space ex ends ou wa d om he
indi idual. As a consequence, he ame o
e e ence used o absolu e space is no longe
sui able o ela i e space. In i s mos popula
a icula ion, he absolu e ame o e e ence is in
line wi h he plane a y coo dina e sys em o
la i ude and longi ude. E en i his is indeed
linked o he Ea h’s o a ion, in gene al physics i
can o en be simplis ically assumed o be a es : I
is a so-called ine ial ame o e e ence. Fo
his gene al geog aphical coo dina e sys em, an
obse e can be imagined who has a bi d’s eye
iew o he e e ence ame.
In he case o he geog aphical con ac acing, a
symbolic obse e can be iden i ied qui e easily: I
is he Sou h Ko ean go e nmen eco ding
in ec ed pe sons’ posi ions. Howe e , o he case
o he ela i e Blue oo h-based con ac acing,
his ou side obse e no longe exis s, simply
because he geog aphical da a is no a ailable.
Ins ead, many sca e ed indi idual ames o
e e ence eme ge, one o each sma phone
unning he Blue oo h-based con ac acing app.
While in he geog aphical iew hese indi idual
en i ies we e conside ed o be in cons an mo ion,
now each sma phone becomes i s own poin o
e e ence. I obse es i s en i onmen om i s
own poin o iew and hus akes a s a ic posi ion:
I sees he o he de ices mo ing ela i e o i s own
posi ion, no he opposi e.
Ca og aphic Specula ions
Depa ing om hese conside a ions o ela i e
posi ion, he nex sec ions ou line some
specula ions o how a ca og aphic model could
also be applied o Blue oo h-based con ac acing
wi hou any e e ences o geog aphical
amewo ks. Fi s and o emos , his ca og aphy
explici ly does no aim o p oduce a global map o
he epidemic space bu ins ead akes an epheme al
and si ua ed o m ha is s ongly bound o i s
usage. As much as his app oach d aws om he
exis ing Blue oo h-based con ac acing apps, i
ex apola es om hei cu en unc ionali y o
enable he swi ch om being passi ely used by
(po en ially o unknowingly) in ec ed pe sons o
ac i ely being used by hose no in ec ed ye , hus
suppo ing he epidemic p e en ion as ou lined
abo e.
A he same ime, his ca og aphy also inhe i s
he limi a ions o cu en con ac acing. Fo his
eason, i is o be ega ded as a specula i e
medium: While i may enable a sense o epidemic
o ien a ion and na iga ion, i may e y well also
pose new issues o social s igma iza ion and da a
[17]
[17:1]
[16:2]
[18]
