The Community Organizations Focusing on Data Centers dataset and associated map were created by Matthew Shaw for educational purposes. The map contains information regarding community organizations specifically set up to address concerns arising from potential and already existing data center development(s).
The map includes information regarding (when applicable) the organization’s: Name, State, County, City/Town, Data Center Organization(s) Owner or Developer, Number of Followers, Latitude and Longitude, Website URL, and whether the organization supports, opposes, or is neutral to development. This last metric is a subjective judgment by me and is based on information such as the title of the organization (such as including “stop”, “no”, etc, followed by data centers), activities and postings on social media, websites, and newspaper articles, and is subject to change based on further information.*
My primary intended purpose is for people to be able to easily locate community organizations in their area to join in the process of democratic decision-making, or if there is no organization, to be able to create one of their own. In my research, I have found other organizations claiming to provide this information, but it was behind a paywall. This launched my effort to find these organizations for myself so that they can be obtained free of charge by the public. This is why I chose a CC BY-NC 4.0 Creative Commons license.
Other potential interested parties:
News organizations may find this map interesting for the size and scope of community participation in the data center movements. My hope is that you share this information with the public so they may gain knowledge of organizations in their area, or the lack thereof. Please do not include a paywall to access these materials for any articles you wish to write about the map.
NGOs working in adjacent areas of interest, such as environmental, legal, and transparency, may want to contact these groups to provide services and assistance. Please use this information to assist local communities in their myriad goals.
Academics researching and writing about data centers and networks of individuals responding to developments may be interested in the size and scope of community participation in the data center movements. Some key questions you may want to consider: Are these movements successful? If so, why or why not? How could they be more effective? What resources are available to them that you could help provide? Consider participatory research methods, which include the community in your work. You likely have academic interests, papers to write, targets set by your institution, and A+s to receive, but keep in mind that there are real lives on the line in the areas you work in.
Politicians may be interested to know if their community is likely to provide backlash to proposed data center developments and may wish to propose legislation to regulate the negative effects of developments in the areas of energy, pollution, etc.
Finally, data center developers and owners are likely to view this map and find communities that do not already have community opposition groups or have supporting groups. It is my hope that developers will consider engaging with communities in a good-hearted exchange of ideas on all aspects of development, from planning to construction to operation. If you do not, it is likely there will be pushback from local groups who do not want you to irresponsibly develop in their neighborhoods.
This map is a work in progress. It is my best approximation given the information available, and will change as more data center community groups are created and come to my attention. If you are aware of an existing data center community group missing from this map, please let me know! Email info@datacenterresponsibility.com with details about the organization and provide a link to their website or social media page.
* Note: This map will eventually be interactive; currently, you can see the location, the size of followers, and Support, Against, or Neutral (color). You may find additional information in the full download below the map.
Map created by Matthew Shaw for educational purposes only.
Although efforts have been made to verify data, accuracy is not guaranteed. If you find inaccuracies, please contact info@datacenterresponsibility.
Data Source: Publicly available information posted on social media, websites, and news articles.
January 6, 2026. Matthew Shaw. The Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development.
This work is openly licensed via CC BY-NC 4.0.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
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