Keywords
Internet
rural areas
smart rural development
wardriving
How to Cite
Abstract
Since the beginning of the Internet, we have seen constant changes in the ways we use it. Nowadays, we are increasingly seeing a shift away from using a fixed-line connection on one device to a wireless connection from multiple devices. The wi-fi network currently plays an important role in the functioning of the Internet, as it is one of the solutions to meet the needs of Internet users. However, the spread of wi-fi networks does not mean that spatial differences in access or Internet quality have disappeared. As a result, the problem of uneven access to the Internet remains a major challenge. From the point of view of scientific research, accurate identification of the spatial distribution of Internet access at the lowest spatial reference level (local scale) is crucial for understanding the challenges and directions of development of local communities, especially in the context of smart rural development. The article presents the results of research based on source material obtained by scanning wi-fi networks using the wardriving method in the area of Bierutów commune. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships between the distribution of wi-fi networks and the distribution of population and buildings on a local scale. The study was also of great importance in the methodological dimension. The authors developed a procedure for obtaining data on wi-fi networks and assessed the possibility of using this data for quantitative characterization of the population and settlement network in a given area. Based on the conducted analyses, it can be concluded that the distribution of wi-fi networks is closely related to the distribution of population, housing, and buildings, confirming the assumption of widespread Internet usage. In a methodological context, the study confirmed that the distribution of wi-fi networks allows to estimate the population indirectly, as well as the number of buildings and dwellings directly.
Funding
Publikacja przygotowana w ramach projektu badawczego Narodowego Centrum Nauki, 2020/39/B/HS4/00423, „Technologie cyfrowe a sprawiedliwość przestrzenna. Wyzwania dla inteligentnego rozwoju obszarów wiejskich” (SMART RURAL).
References
Albino V., Berardi U., Dangelico R.M. 2015. Smart cities: Definitions, dimensions, performance, and initiatives. Journal of Urban Technology, 22(1): 3-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2014.942092
Anselin L. 2002. Under the hood issues in the specification and interpretation of spatial regression models. Agricultural Economics, 27(3): 247-267. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5150(02)00077-4
Birnbaum L., Wilhelm C., Chilla T., Kröner S. 2021. Place attachment and digitalisation in rural regions. Journal of Rural Studies, 87: 189-198. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.09.015
Blank G., Dutton W.H. 2014. Next Generation Internet Users. [W:] M. Graham, H. Dutton (red.), Society and the Internet. How Networks of Information and Communication are Changing Our Lives. Oxford University Press, s. 37-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199661992.003.0003
Brandtzæg P.B., Heim J., Karahasanović A. 2011. Understanding the new digital divide – A typology of Internet users in Europe. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 69(3): 123-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2010.11.004
Brunsdon C., Fotheringham A.S., Charlton M. 1999. Some notes on parametric significance tests for geographically weighted regression. Journal of Regional Science, 39(3): 497-524. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4146.00146
Cambra‐Fierro J.J., Pérez L. 2022. (Re)thinking smart in rural contexts: A multi-country study. Growth and Change, 53(2): 868-889. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12612
Chourabi H., Nam T., Walker S., Gil-Garcia J.R., Mellouli S., Nahon K., Pardo T.A., Scholl H.J. 2012. Understanding smart cities: An integrative framework. Proceedings of the Forty-Fifth Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, s. 2289-2297. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2012.615
van Deursen A.J., Helsper E.J. 2015. The third-level digital divide: who benefits most from being online? Communication and Information Technologies Annual, 10: 29-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S2050-206020150000010002
Driskell L., Wang F. 2009. Mapping digital divide in neighborhoods: Wi-Fi access in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Annals of GIS, 15(1): 35-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19475680903271042
Etta V.O., Sari A., Imoize A.L., Shukla P.K., Alhassan M. 2022. Assessment and Test-case Study of wi-fi Security through the Wardriving Technique. Mobile Information Systems. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7936236
Fuentes-Bautista M., Inagaki N. 2006. Reconfiguring public Internet access in Austin, TX: Wi-Fi’s promise and broadband divides. Government Information Quarterly, 23(3-4): 404-434. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2006.07.013
Getis A., Aldstadt J. 2004. Constructing the spatial weights matrix using a local statistic. Geographical Analysis, 36(2): 90-104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/geo.2004.0002
Gorman S.P., Malecki E.J. 2000. The networks of the Internet: an analysis of provider networks in the USA. Telecommunications Policy, 24: 113-134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-5961(00)00005-7
Grubesic T.H., O’Kelly M.E. 2002. Using Points of Presence to Measure Accessibility to the Commercial Internet. The Professional Geographer, 54: 259-278. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0033-0124.00330
Grubesic T.H., Murray A.T. 2004. „Where” Matters: Location and Wi-Fi Access. Journal of Urban Technology, 11(1): 1-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1063073042000341952
GUS 2022. Delimitacja Obszarów Wiejskich (DOW) (https://stat.gov.pl/statystyka-regionalna/jednostki-terytorialne/delimitacja-obszarow-wiejskich-dow-; dostęp:10.06.2023).
Hargittai E. 2002. Second-Level Digital Divide: Mapping Differences in People’s Online Skills. First Monday, 7(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v7i4.942
Janc K. 2017. Geografia Internetu. Rozprawy Naukowe Instytutu Geografii i Rozwoju Regionalnego, 41.
Janc K., Ilnicki D. 2010. The Hotspot – a new technology, but is it also a new, geographical face of the Internet? Geographia Polonica, 83(2): 55-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.2010.2.4
Janc K., Ilnicki D., Jurkowski W. 2022. Spatial regularities in Internet performance at a local scale: The case of Poland. Moravian Geographical Reports, 30(3): 163-178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2022-0011
Janc K., Jurkowski W. 2022. Przestrzenne zróżnicowanie jakości Internetu w aspekcie wykluczenia cyfrowego w Polsce. Prace Komisji Geografii Komunikacji PTG, 25(1): 73-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4467/2543859XPKG.22.002.15962
Kamienski C., Ratusznei J., Trindade A., Cavalcanti D. 2020. Profiling of a large-scale municipal wireless network. Wireless Networks, 26: 5223-5253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11276-020-02390-4
Kim Y.L. 2018. Seoul’s wi-fi hotspots: wi-fi access points as an indicator of urban vitality. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 72: 13-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2018.06.004
Komorowski Ł., Stanny M. 2020. Smart villages: Where can they happen? Land, 9(5): 151. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/land9050151
Konomi S.I., Sasao T., Hosio S., Sezaki K. 2019. Using ambient WiFi signals to find occupied and vacant houses in local communities. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 10(2): 779-789. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-018-0899-8
Lee S. 2016. Smart divide: Paradigm shift in digital divide in South Korea. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 48(3): 260-268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000614558079
Lee H.J., Park N., Hwang Y. 2015. A new dimension of the digital divide: Exploring the relationship between broadband connection, smartphone use and communication competence. Telematics and Informatics, 32(1): 45-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2014.02.001
Louw C., Von Solms B. 2019. Free public wi-fi security in a smart city context – An end user perspective. [W:] D.B. Rawat, K.Z. Ghafoor (red.), Smart Cities Cybersecurity and Privacy. Elsevier, s. 113-127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815032-0.00009-3
Li R., Chen K., Wu D. 2020. Challenges and Opportunities for Coping with the Smart Divide in Rural America. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 110(2): 559-570. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1694402
Magnusson D., Hermelin B. 2019. ICT development from the perspective of connectivity and inclusion – the operation of a local digital agenda in Sweden. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift, 73(2): 81-95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00291951.2019.1596153
Martínez V.M., Ribeiro M.R., Mota V.F. 2024. wi-fi faces the new wireless ecosystem: a critical review. Annals of Telecommunications, 79(5): 397-413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12243-023-00995-2
McConnell C., Straubhaar J. 2015. Contextualizing Open wi-fi Network Use with Multiple Capitals. Communication and Information Technologies Annual, 10: 205-232. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S2050-206020150000010008
McShane I., Grechyn V. 2019. Public Wi-Fi provision by Australian local government authorities. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 78(4): 613-630. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12397
Morris J., Morris W., Bowen R. 2022. Implications of the digital divide on rural SME resilience. Journal of Rural Studies, 89: 369-377. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.01.005
Naldi L., Nilsson P., Westlund H., Wixe S. 2015. What is smart rural development? Journal of Rural Studies, 40: 90-101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.06.006
Nam T., Pardo T.A. 2011. Conceptualizing Smart City with Dimensions of Technology, People, and Institutions. Proceedings of the 12th Annual International Digital Government Research Conference: Digital Government Innovation in Challenging Times, s. 282-291. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/2037556.2037602
Oughton E.J., Kusuma J., Peyronel T., Crowcroft J. 2021a. wi-fi Wardriving Studies Must Account for Important Statistical Issues, arXiv, 2101.06301.
Oughton E.J., Lehr W., Katsaros K., Selinis I., Bubley D., Kusuma J. 2021b. Revisiting Wireless Internet Connectivity: 5G vs wi-fi 6. Telecommunications Policy, 45(5): 102-127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102127
Pahlavan K., Krishnamurthy P. 2021. Evolution and Impact of wi-fi Technology and Applications: A Historical Perspective. International Journal of Wireless Information Networks, 28(3): 3-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10776-020-00501-8
Portal Geostatystyczny. 2023 (https://portal.geo.stat.gov.pl/; dostęp: 15.07.2023).
Rundel C., Salemink K. 2021. Hubs, hopes and high stakes for a relatively disadvantaged low tech place. Local Economy, 36(7-8): 650-668. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02690942221077120
Salemink K., Strijker D., Bosworth G. 2017. Rural development in the digital age: A systematic literature review on unequal ICT availability, adoption, and use in rural areas. Journal of Rural Studies, 54: 360-371. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.09.001
Santos F., Pesantes P., Bonilla-Bedoya S. 2021. Exploring wardriving potential in the Ecuadorian Amazon for indirect data collection. [W:] IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 690(1) IOP Publishing, 012054. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/690/1/012054
Stephens M., Poorthuis A. 2015. Follow the Neighbor: Connecting the Social and the Spatial Networks on Twitter. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 53: 87-95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2014.07.002
Streitz N. 2019. Beyond ‘smart-only’ cities: redefining the ‘smart-everything’ paradigm. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 10(2): 791-812. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-018-0824-1
Tang X., Tan Z., Hu S., Geng H. 2019. Evaluating spatial service and layout efficiency of municipal wi-fi facilities for SmartCity planning: A case study of Wuhan city, China. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 65: 101-110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2018.03.001
Thomas J., Wilken R., Rennie E. 2021. wi-fi. John Wiley & Sons.
Torrens P.M. 2008. wi-fi Geographies. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 98(1): 59-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00045600701734133
Tranos E. 2013. The Geography of the Internet: Cities, Regions and Internet Infrastructure in Europe. Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781953372
Tsui A.W.T., Lin W.C., Chen W.J., Huang P., Chu H.H. 2010. Accuracy Performance Analysis between War Driving and War Walking in Metropolitan wi-fi Localization. IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, 9(11): 1551-1562. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TMC.2010.121
van Wee B. 2022. Accessibility and equity: A conceptual framework and research agenda. Journal of Transport Geography, 104: 103421. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103421
Wang M., Liao F.H., Lin J., Huang L., Gu C., Wei Y.D. 2016. The Making of a Sustainable Wireless City? Mapping Public wi-fi Access in Shanghai, Sustainability, 8(2): 111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su8020111
Whitacre B.E., Mills B.F. 2007. Infrastructure and the Rural-urban Divide in High-speed Residential Internet Access. International Regional Science Review, 30: 249-273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0160017607301606
Wolfert S., Ge L., Verdouw C., Bogaardt M.J. 2017. Big data in smart farming – a review. Agricultural Systems, 153: 69-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2017.01.023
Wolski O., Wójcik M. 2019. Smart Villages Revisited: Conceptual Background and New Challenges at the Local Level. [W:] A. Visvizi, M.D. Lytras, G. Mudri (red.), Smart Villages in the EU and Beyond. Emerald Publishing Limited, s. 29-48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78769-845-120191004
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Krzysztof Janc, Wojciech Jurkowski
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.