Abstract

GIS based Digital Divide Analysis of Broadband Wireless Information Technology
Track: Telecommunications and Location-Based Services
Authors: Buket OZBAKIR, Gunes Karabulut Kurt

The subject of unequal access to and use of the information technologies started to focus on the concept of "digital divide" has started to attract attention since late 90s. Before that time, more general concepts such as information inequality or information gap and computer literacy were used. Preliminary digital divide research led to the equivalency of media or technology access with physical access. Currently, the majority of this research still focuses on physical access. However, since the year 2002, an increasing number of researchers suggest to go 'beyond access', to reframe the overly technical concept of the digital divide and to pay more attention to social, psychological and cultural backgrounds. The goal of this paper is to provide a new methodology to understand different components of digital divide using ArcGIS. The research is carried out in 10 districts of Istanbul in Turkey with a wide range of socio-economic compositions.

Buket OZBAKIR
Yildiz Technical University - Department of City and Regional Planning
Yildiz Technical University, Barbaros Bulvari
Mimarlik Fakultesi / Sehir ve Bolge Planlama Bolumu
Istanbul, N/A 34349
Turkey
Phone: (+90) 212 383 7070
E-mail: aozbakir@yildiz.edu.tr

Gunes Karabulut Kurt
Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul Teknik Universitesi, Ayazaga Kampusu
Maslak
Istanbul 34469
Turkey
Phone: +90 212 285 6729
Fax: +90 212 285 3565
E-mail: gkurt@itu.edu.tr