Welcome to the website of the Digital Geographies Research Group (DGRG).
We are an academic research group of the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG).
Digital technologies are changing the life worlds we research as well as the very way we ourselves undertake research and teaching. Therefore this group seeks to be a welcoming forum to discuss these changes for geographers from different epistemic and methodological traditions, and for those conducting theoretical as well as applied research work. The DGRG is a platform for exchanges within and between sub-disciplines, engaging with the diversity of geographies of and through the digital, and thereby nurtures and deepens discussion of geographical digital scholarship and practice.
Our 2022 Annual General Meeting will be held during the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference. The conference will be chaired by Professor Rachel Pain of Newcastle University, on the theme Geographies beyond recovery. It will take place at Newcastle University, from Tuesday 30 August to Friday 2 September 2022, with a strong in-person element, and with hybrid and online ways to participate.
Our AGM is the point of the year when the committee reports to the membership and we all reflect on what has been achieved in the last year, plan the next year, and hear new suggestions for how the group is run and what it can do. We also elect committee members for open positions, and farewell previous committee members who are leaving. All ideas and suggestions are very welcome. We will provide further details about the AGM closer to the time.
Digital Geographies Research Group Annual Symposium 2024 Mobilities and the Digital: Registration Opening Soon
Date: 21 June 2024
Location: Elm House, University of Birmingham and Online
Supported by the Institute for STEMM in Culture and Society (ISTEMMiCS)
The conference will provide a space to explore a wide range of topics and contexts where mobilities and the digital intersect as well as the broader societal, cultural and political contexts in which these changes occur. The conference features keynotes from Professor David Bissell (University of Melbourne), researcher and author of Transit Life: How commuting is transforming our cities. The keynote panel will feature researchers and practitioners developing social science approaches and insights into emerging technologies, perspectives on innovation studies, and insights into responsible research innovation. The book panel will discuss Artificial Intelligence and the City: Urbanistic Perspectives on AI (Routledge) edited by Federico Cugurullo and colleagues. We also have over 16 exciting papers and digital shorts to share across the day at the conference.
Please visit this webpage for registration and this webpage for practical information.
DGRG Dissertation Prize Winner Announced!
We are delighted to announce that the winner of our 2023 Dissertation Prize is Lucas Evans from the University of Oxford.
His dissertation, ‘Forest: exploring the possibilities of digital technologies for enhancing forest restoration’, examined the Forest app, a popular productivity app which enables users to support forest restoration. Lucas’ research considered the ways that users engage with the app on an everyday basis, and how the platform’s design, economic model and use influences the politics of forest restoration.
While Lucas’ dissertation scored highly in all our assessment criteria, reviewers particularly praised the work for the incisiveness of its critical analysis and its engagement with, and contribution to, digital geographies scholarship.
Lucas will have an opportunity to share more about his work via our channels over the coming months. Stayed tuned for this and for news of our 2024 Dissertation Prize offering, which will include an additional 2023 prize for any prospective entries that have been affected by the UCU marking boycott.
Keep an eye out on our dissertation prize page for future announcements.
Our latest Work in Progress video series is up now – Eurovision fandom, working from home privacy, place and location, and more! View on our YouTube channel
Watch the Youtube playlist from the 2021 Annual @digital_RGS Symposium – starting with the keynote from Peta Mitchell!