Towards a geography of geographic information in a digital world

A revised central place theory is presented based on assumptions about behavior in a digital world, which predicts very different patterns of location for information than the authors observe today, depending on the degree of geographical variation in levels of interest.

Abstract

Even though distance is much less of an impediment to interaction in a connected digital world, decisions must still be made about where to store information, and how to search for it. Central facilities location theory provides a framework for discussion of libraries and information stores as services to a dispersed population, based on certain basic behavioral principles. A revised central place theory is presented based on assumptions about behavior in a digital world. It predicts very different patterns of location for information than we observe today, depending on the degree of geographical variation in levels of interest. Massive changes are also under way in the production of geographic information, as production and dissemination shift from centralized to local. Libraries of the future are predicted to emphasize special, locally centered collections. A geographic data set is most likely to be served from locations within its geographic footprint.