As a central component of the smart city, sensor infrastructures locate and measure a wide range of variables in order to characterise the urban environment. Perhaps the most visible expression of the smart city, sensor deployment is a key equity concern. As new sensor technologies and resultant data interact with social processes, they have the potential to reproduce well-documented spatial injustices. Contrary to promises of providing new knowledge for cities, they can also create new gaps in understanding about specific urban populations that fall into the interstices of data collection—what we term sensor deserts. Building upon emerging data justice debates, specifically considering distributional, recognition and procedural forms of injustice, we conceptualise and analyse sensor deserts through two case studies, Newcastle’s Urban Observatory (UK) and Chicago’s Array of Things (US). Open sensor locations are integrated with small-area socio-economic data to evidence the demographic configuration and spatialities of sensor deserts across each city. We illustrate how the structural processes via which inequality is reinforced by smart agendas manifest as uneven social and spatial outcomes. In doing so, the paper opens up a new conceptual space in which to consider what it means (not) to count in the smart city, bringing a demographic perspective to critical debates about smart urbanisms.

中文翻译：

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传感器沙漠困境：在智慧城市中计数意味着（不）什么？

作为智慧城市的核心组成部分，传感器基础设施定位和测量范围广泛的变量，以表征城市环境。也许是智慧城市最明显的体现，传感器部署是一个关键的股权问题。随着新的传感器技术和由此产生的数据与社会过程相互作用，它们有可能重现有据可查的空间不公正。与为城市提供新知识的承诺相反，它们还可以在理解落入数据收集间隙的特定城市人口（我们称之为传感器沙漠）方面产生新的差距。基于新兴的数据正义辩论，特别是考虑到不公正的分布、识别和程序形式，我们通过两个案例研究对传感器沙漠进行了概念化和分析，纽卡斯尔的城市天文台（英国）和芝加哥的 Array of Things（美国）。开放式传感器位置与小区域社会经济数据相结合，以证明每个城市传感器沙漠的人口结构和空间分布。我们说明了通过智能议程加强不平等的结构过程如何表现为不平衡的社会和空间结果。在这样做的过程中，本文开辟了一个新的概念空间，在其中考虑在智慧城市中计数意味着什么（不是），为关于智慧城市化的批判性辩论带来人口学视角。我们说明了通过智能议程加强不平等的结构过程如何表现为不平衡的社会和空间结果。在这样做的过程中，本文开辟了一个新的概念空间，在其中考虑在智慧城市中计数意味着什么（不是），为关于智慧城市化的批判性辩论带来人口学视角。我们说明了通过智能议程加强不平等的结构过程如何表现为不平衡的社会和空间结果。在这样做的过程中，本文开辟了一个新的概念空间，在其中考虑在智慧城市中计数意味着什么（不是），为关于智慧城市化的批判性辩论带来人口学视角。