Aims and Scope

Inspired by the broad agenda of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies (JCSS) aims to publish significant and original research from a broad array of computer and information sciences, social sciences, environmental sciences, and engineering fields that support the growth of sustainable societies worldwide, especially including under-represented and marginalized communities. JCSS aims to explicitly promote interdisciplinary research work including new methodologies, systems, techniques, applications, behavioral, qualitative, and quantitative studies that addresses key societal challenges including sustainability, gender equality, health, education, poverty, accessibility, conservation, climate change, energy, infrastructure and economic growth, among others. We also welcome research on the ethics of technology, especially from a critical perspective, that explores limitations and concerns with technology-led solutions for sustainable societies. The journal will be published quarterly.

To ensure strong research contributions, the journal will review papers based on focus areas corresponding to the research areas they draw upon. The key focal areas are:

    AI, ML and Data Science for Sustainable Societies
    Computing systems and IoT for Sustainable Societies
    Human-Computer Interaction, Design and Critical Perspectives
    Development, Economics and Policy
    Sustainability, Environment and Climate Change
    Technology, Media, and Social Practice

Focus Area Track: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science for Sustainable Societies

This track takes paper submissions on research and development of AI/ML and data science techniques in the context of sustainable societies. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

    Methods for large-scale data analysis, participatory sensing and crowd-sourced data collection. Novel prediction and/or decision-support models in societally critical domains like healthcare, education, governance and social policy.
    Analysis of massive, complex data sources, such as networked data, satellite data, mobile phone data, time-series, and spatial-temporal
    Methods for working with unstructured data including natural language and images, and multi-modal analyses combining structured and unstructured data.
    Data collection and techniques for building models for underrepresented contexts, including data regarding different groups and communities, underrepresented languages of the world, low-resource areas, etc.
    Handling of missing, messy, and biased data, including data cleaning, data wrangling, data integration, and domain adaptation methods.
    Data privacy, security, and anonymity while building machine learning
    FATE (fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics) in AI and ML, especially as it applies to applications of these technologies in social impact domains.

Methods may be applied to relevant areas that aim towards social impact and sustainable societies, including but not limited to: agriculture, poverty mapping, disease surveillance, health screening, learning outcomes, resource allocation, etc. We encourage (but do not require) real-world deployment and evaluation of methods in collaboration with public sector partners such as government or NGOs. Submitted papers are expected to present an argument for the (either realized or potential) social impact of the work. We also encourage contributions on critical perspectives about machine learning that may limit effectiveness or quality of machine learning-led solutions for sustainable societies.
Focus Area Track: Computing Systems and IoT for Sustainable Societies

This track takes paper submissions on the design, implementation, and deployment of all forms of computing and communication systems for sustainable societies. Topics of interest may include (but not limited to):

    Connectivity solutions and measurements
    Mobile systems and applications
    Spectrum management
    Content distribution
    Low-cost and/or low-energy computing systems and devices
    IoT devices and other systems for improving infrastructure (buildings, energy systems, roads, water and sanitation systems, agriculture, healthcare, governance, etc.)
    Computing technologies applied in energy and electricity networks
    Systems for measurement, monitoring, and/or management of urban and rural environments
    Deployment of sensing and communications technologies, case studies, and lessons learned
    Security and privacy in systems and IoT
    Smart cities applications 

Focus Area Track: Human-Computer Interaction, Design, and Critical Perspectives

This track takes paper submissions that are broadly in the domains of HCI, design, and critical perspectives. We encourage submissions that describe the design and use of novel interactive technologies and applications with individuals, communities, or organizations. Submissions may use a broad array of methods, including ethnography, qualitative, quantitative, design, usage and interaction analysis, mixed methods, and others. Domains of interest include health, education, gender, religion, agriculture, socio-economic development, poverty, financial services, and more. Topics of interest may include (but not limited to):

    Designing technologies or applications for underserved, marginalized, or at-risk communities
    Human-centered AI (where the contribution is related to the design, usage, sociotechnical context, or application rather than the AI itself)
    Information and computer ethics
    Design or study of sociotechnical systems for underserved communities
    Information system and technology design methodologies ● Social relationships and information flows within and across communities
    Gender and intersectionality
    Evaluations of usage and impact of technologies deployed in the field ● Human-centered security and privacy
    Reflections from long-term deployments
    Equality, diversity and inclusion
    Other topics related to interactions between technology, humans, and/or society

Focus Area Track: Development, Economics, and Policy

This track encourages paper submissions from economics, social sciences, and policy that pertain to sustainability and socio-economic development. Specifically, we encourage development, economics and policy papers that engage with a broad range of application domains, including public health, financial services, education, agriculture, gender, livelihood, employment, governance systems, and labor rights, among others. Specific topics include but are not limited to:

    Policy evaluation using randomized control trials or observational data
    Study of markets, market design, and new forms of economic activity such as gig work and micro-lending, especially in low- and middle-income societies
    Measuring development, economic, or policy outcomes using non-traditional data (administrative, satellite, social media, mobile, text, etc.)
    Applying AI/ML methods to social science or economic policy
    Development economics studies
    Intersection of politics, governance, and development
    Social network analysis and analysis of social relationships
    Applications, effects, and regulation of technology in low- and middle-income societies

Focus Area Track: Sustainability, Environment, and Climate Change

This track encourages papers on all aspects of sustainability of the planet pertaining to environmental sciences, climate change, and environmental policy. We encourage submissions across a broad spectrum of topics in this space, including but not limited to:

    Climate change modeling
    Environmental scientific studies
    Impact of climate change on populations
    Modeling environmental pollution and its impact of populations
    Biodiversity, wildlife and ecosystem conservation
    Sustainable management of natural resources
    Environmental policy studies and economics
    Studies on the limits of the sustainability of technology
    Measuring and evaluating the impact of nature-based strategies

Focus Area Track: Technology, Media, and Social Practice

This track takes paper submissions that engage in critical discussions on the social, economic, and cultural impact of technology and media. It welcomes submissions that bring an interdisciplinary perspective from a diverse range of disciplines across the social sciences and humanities on both theoretical and empirical research. Topics of interest may include (but not limited to):

    The implications and impacts of, and the determinants and obstacles to, computing technologies
    The global and local dimensions of the relationship between technology and societal issues
    The individual, social, cultural, and political dimensions of computing technologies
    The relationship between theory, policy, and practice
    The use of the Internet for local economic development, social justice, and political empowerment
    Technology and media ethics
    Civic media and technology
    The implication of online misinformation and disinformation campaigns in society and policy