Since network gear, links, and the nodes they connect must be in some
specific physical place, there is always a relationship between
geography and network topology. The flow of data through that topology
has generally, however, been relatively independent of the geography.
Recently, some public policy proposals have tried to tie the flow of
data on the network to national or regional boundaries. This panel will
discuss the relationship between geography and network topology from
three points of view. The IXmaps project at the University of Toronto
attempts to analyse traffic to understand where it is going with, so
far, a particularly Canadian focus. ISOC's Internet Exchange efforts
are focussed on improving local internconnections within underserved
regions. And CAIDA has been undertaking analysis of Internet traffic,
including its relationship to geography, for many years. Each panellist
will make a brief presentation, and then we will discuss the
implications of their findings.
The content of this page was last updated on 2016-09-29. It was migrated from the old IAB wiki on 2023-12-05.