Epidemic Geographies

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 2 OF 10 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 3 OF 10 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 4 OF 10 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 5 OF 10 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 6 OF 10 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]