Are you connected to the mountains?

In the latest issue of Revue de géographie alpine/Journal of Alpine Research, several researchers investigate the presence of connected objects in mountain spaces and the impact of “digital traces” produced more or less voluntarily.

How do geographers use digital data in mountain research? What do they have to say about visitor numbers and practices? How do land managers and local authorities incorporate them into their decision-making processes?

Marc Langenbach and Pascal Mao, from the Pacte social science laboratory at the University of Grenoble, who coordinated the review with Steve Taylor (University of Highlands and Islands), are leading the Voluntary Geographic Information (VGI) and mountain use research project within Labex ITTEM. In this issue, they document the omnipresence of VGI in many areas of our daily actions, linked to connected objects, and their presence in scientific production through an article co-authored with Robin Lesné, Hugues François and Nicolas Robinet.

Other fields are investigated in this special issue: how do the GPS data produced by traileurs contribute to a better understanding of the use of mountain sports(read the article)? Is digitization turning forests into stadiums(read the article)? Is the bearded vulture reintroduction program in the Mercantour region benefiting from the contribution of digital technologies via a playful device and the involvement of eco-volunteers in its monitoring(read the article)?

While the trust placed in digital data, the question of their interpretation and the ethical and legal framework for their use remain to be explored, ” the impact of the digital transition on mountain areas, on the people who use them, on the players involved and on pre-existing governance systems, is now an emerging scientific field “, sums up Marc Langenbach.

See also the presentation of the issue on theUGA Éditions website.