Eric Nost
Program
About my research…
I research how data and digital technologies inform environmental governance. In my work, I often use mapping to publicize the uneven results of policy and I have developed web-based methods for assessing how governance actors frame environmental problems. My studies are situated in North America, addressing digital governance within a variety of topical issues, including conservation, environmental injustice, and climate change adaptation.
How my research improves life…
New kinds of data-generating sensors and data-synthesizing algorithms are becoming central to everyday life and may prove transformational at a policy-level as well. A key challenge for geographers in the coming years is evaluating emerging technologies’ promise to help society solve sustainability issues related to food security, climate change adaptation, and ecosystem services. This will be done by understanding their human dimensions - their design, use, maintenance, and social impacts - alongside other governance trends such as marketization and metrification.