As a kind of large-scale connectivity infrastructure,submarine cables play a vital role in international telecommunication,socio-economic development and national defense security.However,the current understanding abo...As a kind of large-scale connectivity infrastructure,submarine cables play a vital role in international telecommunication,socio-economic development and national defense security.However,the current understanding about the spatial pattern of global submarine cable network is relatively limited.In this article,we analyze the spatial distribution and connectivity pattern of global submarine cables,and identify their strategic pivots and strategic channels.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)The spatial distribution of global submarine cables is significantly unbalanced,which is characterized by the facts that the distribution of submarine cable lines is similar to that of sea lanes,and the agglomerations of landing stations are distributed unevenly along the coastline.(2)The connectivity pattern of global submarine cable network has a significant scale effect.At the micro,meso and macro scales,the connectivity structure presents chain model,cluster model and hub-and-spoke model,respectively.(3)The distribution of strategic pivots and strategic channels shows a pyramidal hierarchical feature.Singapore ranks highest among all the strategic pivots,while the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Malacca rank highest among the strategic channels.Based on the identification of strategic pivots and channels,six strategic regions have been divided,which face various network security risks and need special attention and vigilance.展开更多
Submarine cable network is one of the most important connectivity infrastructures in the digital era.In the past 20 years,the submarine cable network of Chinese mainland has formed a complex connectivity structure.Thi...Submarine cable network is one of the most important connectivity infrastructures in the digital era.In the past 20 years,the submarine cable network of Chinese mainland has formed a complex connectivity structure.This paper focuses on exploring the structure and evolution of the submarine cable network of Chinese mainland.The results show that the evolution can be divided into four stages:an initial stage(1993-1998),a developmental stage(1999-2002),a stagnation stage(2003-2015)and an accelerated stage(2016-2018).The connectivity structure can be analyzed at micro,meso and macro scales.Statistically,the connectivity increased significantly overall,but showed significant differences in space.For the microscale,the landing cities were characterized by“extensive but low,exclusive and high”;for the mesoscale,the connectivity of countries or regions was characterized by“distance attenuation”as a whole,but,in part,by a“regional identity”;for the macroscale,intercontinental connectivity differences have been declining.The hierarchy has been upgraded from a“3 system”to a“2+3 system”.Finally,this paper discusses the interaction between submarine cable network construction and international relations,and puts forward policy suggestions for China’s submarine cable construction.展开更多
The railway is an indispensable feature of a nation’s infrastructure,and the gauge isan internal and objective technical regulation of the railway.In the large-scale regional space,the track gauges reflect the develo...The railway is an indispensable feature of a nation’s infrastructure,and the gauge isan internal and objective technical regulation of the railway.In the large-scale regional space,the track gauges reflect the development differences,historical relations and mutual influencesbetween countries and regions.This makes the railway,originally as a regional connection,have special social,political,military and other multiple attributes.Based on this,thepaper,from the perspective of railway gauge,takes the Eurasian continent as the case regionto explore the spatial pattern,formation mechanism and organizational mode of communicationof the Eurasian continental railway geo-system.The results show that 11 kinds of railwaygauge structures exist in Eurasia,which respectively belong to three types of wide-gauge,standard-gauge,and narrow-gauge,but the mainstream gauge only includes 1520 mm,1435mm and 1067 mm.Considerable variation in the coverage length and space range of differentgauges is apparent,which provides a physical and technological basis for railway systemdifferentiation and network fragmentation,which leads to the formation of eight railwaygeo-systems.Due to different modes for railway transport management in different geographicallocations,the geographical pattern and geographical relationship of four transportorganizations are formed.What especially important is the emergence of“1435 gauge space”and“1520 gauge space”,as well as the railway geo-space confrontation between them,onthe Eurasian continent.Besides,we also find that the railway geo-system of Eurasia is mainlyaffected by the technology dissemination,path dependence,geopolitics,national defenseand the colonial expansion of military latitude,and on this basis,five geo-modes of railwaygauge propagation are formed.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.42071151Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,No.XDA20010101。
文摘As a kind of large-scale connectivity infrastructure,submarine cables play a vital role in international telecommunication,socio-economic development and national defense security.However,the current understanding about the spatial pattern of global submarine cable network is relatively limited.In this article,we analyze the spatial distribution and connectivity pattern of global submarine cables,and identify their strategic pivots and strategic channels.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)The spatial distribution of global submarine cables is significantly unbalanced,which is characterized by the facts that the distribution of submarine cable lines is similar to that of sea lanes,and the agglomerations of landing stations are distributed unevenly along the coastline.(2)The connectivity pattern of global submarine cable network has a significant scale effect.At the micro,meso and macro scales,the connectivity structure presents chain model,cluster model and hub-and-spoke model,respectively.(3)The distribution of strategic pivots and strategic channels shows a pyramidal hierarchical feature.Singapore ranks highest among all the strategic pivots,while the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Malacca rank highest among the strategic channels.Based on the identification of strategic pivots and channels,six strategic regions have been divided,which face various network security risks and need special attention and vigilance.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.42071151Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,No.XDA20010101。
文摘Submarine cable network is one of the most important connectivity infrastructures in the digital era.In the past 20 years,the submarine cable network of Chinese mainland has formed a complex connectivity structure.This paper focuses on exploring the structure and evolution of the submarine cable network of Chinese mainland.The results show that the evolution can be divided into four stages:an initial stage(1993-1998),a developmental stage(1999-2002),a stagnation stage(2003-2015)and an accelerated stage(2016-2018).The connectivity structure can be analyzed at micro,meso and macro scales.Statistically,the connectivity increased significantly overall,but showed significant differences in space.For the microscale,the landing cities were characterized by“extensive but low,exclusive and high”;for the mesoscale,the connectivity of countries or regions was characterized by“distance attenuation”as a whole,but,in part,by a“regional identity”;for the macroscale,intercontinental connectivity differences have been declining.The hierarchy has been upgraded from a“3 system”to a“2+3 system”.Finally,this paper discusses the interaction between submarine cable network construction and international relations,and puts forward policy suggestions for China’s submarine cable construction.
基金The Strategic Priority Research Program of the CAS,No.XDA20010101The Key Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,No.ZDRW-ZS-2017-4。
文摘The railway is an indispensable feature of a nation’s infrastructure,and the gauge isan internal and objective technical regulation of the railway.In the large-scale regional space,the track gauges reflect the development differences,historical relations and mutual influencesbetween countries and regions.This makes the railway,originally as a regional connection,have special social,political,military and other multiple attributes.Based on this,thepaper,from the perspective of railway gauge,takes the Eurasian continent as the case regionto explore the spatial pattern,formation mechanism and organizational mode of communicationof the Eurasian continental railway geo-system.The results show that 11 kinds of railwaygauge structures exist in Eurasia,which respectively belong to three types of wide-gauge,standard-gauge,and narrow-gauge,but the mainstream gauge only includes 1520 mm,1435mm and 1067 mm.Considerable variation in the coverage length and space range of differentgauges is apparent,which provides a physical and technological basis for railway systemdifferentiation and network fragmentation,which leads to the formation of eight railwaygeo-systems.Due to different modes for railway transport management in different geographicallocations,the geographical pattern and geographical relationship of four transportorganizations are formed.What especially important is the emergence of“1435 gauge space”and“1520 gauge space”,as well as the railway geo-space confrontation between them,onthe Eurasian continent.Besides,we also find that the railway geo-system of Eurasia is mainlyaffected by the technology dissemination,path dependence,geopolitics,national defenseand the colonial expansion of military latitude,and on this basis,five geo-modes of railwaygauge propagation are formed.
