Net:Geography Fieldwork Frequently Asked Questions

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Code, space and everyday life

In this paper we examine the role of code (software) in the spatial formation of collective life. Taking the view that human life and coded technology are folded into one another, we theorise space as ontogenesis. Space, we posit, is constantly being bought into being through a process of transduction – the constant making anew of a domain in reiterative and transformative practices - as an incomplete solution to a relational problem. The relational problem we examine is the ongoing encounter between individuals and environment where the solution, to a greater or lesser extent, is code. Code, we posit, is diversely embedded in collectives as coded objects, coded infrastructure, coded processes and coded assemblages. These objects, infrastructure, processes and assemblages possess technicity, that is, unfolding or evolutive power to make things happen; the ability to mediate, supplement, augment, monitor, regulate, operate, facilitate, produce collective life. We contend that when the technicity of code is operationalised it transduces one of three forms of hybrid spatial formations: code/space, coded space and backgrounded coded space. These formations are contingent, relational, extensible and scaleless, often stretched out across networks of greater or shorter length. We demonstrate the coded transduction of space through three vignettes – each a day in the life of three people living in London, UK, tracing the technical mediation of their interactions, transactions and mobilities. We then discuss how code becomes the relational solution to five different classes of problems – domestic living, travelling, working, communicating, and consuming

Just ticking the box: A social informatics model of the consequences of consent

Given the societal diffusion, proliferation and ubiquity of computerised systems and platforms, it is generally perceived by consumers that systems and eBusiness platforms often pose a threat to the privacy of their supplied information (Srnicek, 2017; Andreotti et al., 2018). Furthermore, as we see the replacement of systems that were once manual and paper-based migrate to digital processes and information systems (Lunt et al., 2019), consent in the information era is reduced to ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ option, often in the form of a tick box. Additionally, despite the arrival of the General Data Protection Regulation in 2018 as means to provide protection in relation to data processing, we argue that there is a lack of transparency in relation to the intention of this data processing and secondary data use for the purposes of research and marketing, for example. In light of this, we argue that there exists an increasingly difficult challenge to establish a mutual understanding of what consent actually is and what the wider permutations of it represents and comprehends. The lack of mutual understanding, in a digital world that is becoming increasingly reliant on the perceived benefits of acquiring and processing large sets of data (Kitchin, 2014; Breidbach et al., 2019) is deeply problematic. It is not only problematic for the consumer, but also to system developers, platform owners, and data processors alike. To this end, this paper presents a model, derived from action research, which positions the concept of consent within a socio-technical framing. This model approaches consent, in the context of digital platforms and eBusiness and how it comes to be represented in information systems, as a socio-technical construct of moral orders that imbues the feelings, convictions and aspirations of the consumer as they are engaged in the use of digital systems. We offer that consent is merely approached as an attribute in a data model, rather than relaying the communicative understanding of the consumer. This model introduces the areas of information processing systems and information communication systems as two differing interpretations within which digital platforms can be perceived. We offer these two distinctions as a mechanism to explain and, more importantly, explore the notion of the governance of consent and how this comes to be manifested in information systems

Design Challenges for GDPR RegTech

The Accountability Principle of the GDPR requires that an organisation can demonstrate compliance with the regulations. A survey of GDPR compliance software solutions shows significant gaps in their ability to demonstrate compliance. In contrast, RegTech has recently brought great success to financial compliance, resulting in reduced risk, cost saving and enhanced financial regulatory compliance. It is shown that many GDPR solutions lack interoperability features such as standard APIs, meta-data or reports and they are not supported by published methodologies or evidence to support their validity or even utility. A proof of concept prototype was explored using a regulator based self-assessment checklist to establish if RegTech best practice could improve the demonstration of GDPR compliance. The application of a RegTech approach provides opportunities for demonstrable and validated GDPR compliance, notwithstanding the risk reductions and cost savings that RegTech can deliver. This paper demonstrates a RegTech approach to GDPR compliance can facilitate an organisation meeting its accountability obligations

Online Bin Stretching with Three Bins

Online Bin Stretching is a semi-online variant of bin packing in which the algorithm has to use the same number of bins as an optimal packing, but is allowed to slightly overpack the bins. The goal is to minimize the amount of overpacking, i.e., the maximum size packed into any bin. We give an algorithm for Online Bin Stretching with a stretching factor of $11/8 = 1.375$ for three bins. Additionally, we present a lower bound of $45/33 = 1.\overline{36}$ for Online Bin Stretching on three bins and a lower bound of $19/14$ for four and five bins that were discovered using a computer search.Comment: Preprint of a journal version. See version 2 for the conference paper. Conference paper split into two journal submissions; see arXiv:1601.0811

Performance analysis of knock detectors

This paper examines performance of the knock detection technique typically used in engine control systems, and the margin for possible improvement. We introduce a knock signal model and obtain an analytical result for the associated receiver operating characteristic of the standard knock detector. To show the improvement potential, we derive the theoretical upper bound of performance. A special case with unknown model parameters is also considered. Numerical results stimulate the research of improved detectors