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Mapping the Internet using GIS: The death of distance hypothesis revisited

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  • Yong Wang
  • Phillip Lai
  • Daniel Sui

Abstract

This paper revisits the death of distance hypothesis. To explore the role of distance in the information age, three methods – web scan, hyperlink, and trace-route – are used to map the Internet for the US educational network. Statistical analysis is conducted to evaluate whether physical distance has any impact on the Internet information access. The cartographic and statistical results indicate that geography in general and distance in particular are still important factors in shaping the spatial pattern of Internet activities. For the most popular fifty-three US educational web sites, the physical distance within one thousand miles has positive effects on Internet access while access to international hosts heavily depends on the response time, link speed and other Internet infrastructures and interconnections such as the availability of domain name servers, network access points, backbones, etc. Implications of absolute, relative, and virtual distance in mapping the Internet are discussed. It is concluded that the death of distance hypothesis is premature, even misguided in most cases. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003

Suggested Citation

  • Yong Wang & Phillip Lai & Daniel Sui, 2003. "Mapping the Internet using GIS: The death of distance hypothesis revisited," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 381-405, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jgeosy:v:5:y:2003:i:4:p:381-405
    DOI: 10.1007/s10109-003-0117-9
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Emmanouil Tranos & Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2014. "Digital urban network connectivity: Global and Chinese internet patterns," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(2), pages 409-428, June.
    2. Giancarlo Giudici & Massimiliano Guerini & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2018. "Reward-based crowdfunding of entrepreneurial projects: the effect of local altruism and localized social capital on proponents’ success," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 307-324, February.
    3. Baker, R.G.V., 2012. "Towards a physics of Internet traffic in a geographic network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 391(4), pages 1133-1148.
    4. Emmanouil Tranos & Peter Nijkamp, 2013. "The Death Of Distance Revisited: Cyber-Place, Physical And Relational Proximities," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 855-873, December.
    5. Krzysztof Janc, 2015. "Geography of Hyperlinks-Spatial Dimensions of Local Government Websites," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(5), pages 1019-1037, May.
    6. R. Baker, 2005. "Instantaneous global spatial interaction? Exploring the Gaussian inequality, distance and Internet pings in a global network," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 361-379, December.

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