Hyperlocal

URL = http://www.hyperlocal.org/

"hyperlocal.org is an initiative, recently established in Berlin, investigating in emerging hyperlocal concepts and their economical, social and cultural impact. This initiative is managed by Reinhard Knobelspies, CEO and founder of studio 38 pure communication GmbH in Berlin."

Citation

Bruce Sterling [1]:

"“You see, the difference between the old-fashioned semantic Web and the new hyperlocal Web — that’s hyper as in linked, and local as in location — is that the databases of the new Web are stuffed with geographic coordinates. Real positions. Real distances. So the bodyware I carry in my pockets and travel bag broadcasts its location to any device within earshot. (Of course, the RFID chips embedded in everything help the manufacturer get it out the door, but I programmed my own tags so I can’t lose anything.) Roomware — that’s houseware to you troglodytes who still live in houses — is the stuff that runs a hotel room. You know, the remotes that control temperature and unlock the liquor cabinet, plus the window overlay that displays the weather forecast and traffic conditions. Streetware is my mobile’s navigator, plus social tags, ad filters, and all those black-and-white barcode blotches painted on walls like graffiti. Cityware is the next scale up. That’s how the local government monitors traffic, chases down leaky water mains, and keeps tourists on the straight and narrow. Stateware, nationware, globalware — you get the idea.” (http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/15-07/local)

Commentary

Franz Nahrada: In my opinion the definition of Hyperlocal could be "Increased local connections in a place by increased connections in general. The number and significance of local connections will eventually outperform global conections. Thus a place gets richer by connections. Space in its deep meaning is an entity with connections. Local connections are more effective than global connections". Therefore this resonates with the concept of Global Villages and also Sustainability Ecology which roots in rich local connections and ecosystems. The Upload project (see references below) has created a similar theoretical framework that could be used in Hyperlocal discourse.

More Information

• | Upload Project
• Dispatches from a hyperlocal future. By Bruce Sterling.
• Hyperlocal News

---