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Data Capitalism, Microsoft’s Planetary Computer, and the Biodiversity Informatics Community

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Information for a Better World: Sha** the Global Future (iConference 2022)

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Abstract

Joining the growing literature on the design of information infrastructures for the Anthropocene, this paper explores the Big Tech’s efforts to support biodiversity informatics community. Drawing on the information infrastructure studies, political economy of science, and critical data studies, the paper aims to shed light on the reception of artificial intelligence and cloud computing on the part of a biodiversity data network. The preliminary interview findings reported here suggest a cautious optimism about the funding of biodiversity informatics, yet likewise underscore the importance of considering political-economy of infrastructures, both among their users and designers.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For the history of ECVs, see Edwards, 2010.

  2. 2.

    On Microsoft’s attempts to make their data centers green see [47].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York, USA

    Przemyslaw Matt Lukacz

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  1. Przemyslaw Matt Lukacz
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Correspondence to Przemyslaw Matt Lukacz .

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  1. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Malte Smits

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Lukacz, P.M. (2022). Data Capitalism, Microsoft’s Planetary Computer, and the Biodiversity Informatics Community. In: Smits, M. (eds) Information for a Better World: Sha** the Global Future. iConference 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 13192. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96957-8_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96957-8_31

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