Trends Identified
Increasing Media Impact
The media will retain an overarching influence shaping an individual’s values and beliefs both consciously and unconsciously. However, this impact is likely to vary across states, dependent on the censorship and control systems they have in place. The ‘democratised’ Internet makes it likely that almost every member of global society is able to access free information from a variety of sources.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
Meso-scale models to forecast dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena
The meso-scale model to forecast dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena is a software package incorporating an actual mesoscale atmospheric model; a unit to prepare input data, constraints and surface properties (pre-processing); and a postprocessing unit to process modelling output data, additional calculations and visualisation. Such models, implemented for limited territories, already serve as a means to provide a detailed forecast of meteorological fields with various parameters (temperature, humidity, pressure, precipitation, wind), and the sampling resolution of the computer grids for operational weather forecasting does not exceed 2 km2. Improving these models will enhance the accuracy and scales of the fore casts of dangerous phenomena, both for “purely atmospheric” (storm wind speed, largescale precipitation, etc.) and for series of hydrometeorological phenomena (storm surges, floods, rough seas, avalanches, etc.).
2016
Russia 2030: science and technology foresight
Russia, Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
Competition for Talent
The mismatch in skills available and capabilities needed in the workforce given today’s technologically-focused world has resulted in fierce competition for talent.
2017
Beyond the Noise- The Megatrends of Tomorrow’s World
Deloitte
Augmented reality goes mainstream
The mobile game Pokémon Go has unleashed a billion-dollar demand for augmented reality entertainment, and major brands are taking notice. Thanks to the introduction of affordable augmented reality glasses, our phones will remain in our pockets and Heads Up Displays (HUD) will improve how we work, shop, and play.
2017
4 Technology Trends That Will Transform Our World in 2018
Fortune
Modelling and forecasting ICT services.
The model adequacy and query response time are key characteristics of modelling and fore- casting ICT services. Mathematical and computer models based on the results of field and/or computer experiments applying predictive modelling concepts are “trained” based on multiple prototypes of input and output data and essentially simulate both sources to receive data and the models themselves, created on the basis of studies of the physics of corresponding processes. Using such approaches (“metamodelling”), it is possible to speed up calculations manyfold, all the while reducing the number of expensive field or computer experiments. In turn, this should lead to a drastic reduction in the timeframes and cost of design, improvements in the quality of engineered products, simplified use of such services and, as a result, a reduction in the need for qualified users. The use of such modelling to calculate the optical properties of metamaterials with complex geometries used in difficult-to-reproduce conditions makes it possible to optimise metamaterials and minimise production costs, which will lead to a transformation of the market for materials with new properties.
2016
Russia 2030: science and technology foresight
Russia, Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
The unstoppable freight train that is automation
The more intelligent machines become, the more they can do for us. That means even more processes, decisions, functions and systems can be automated and carried out by algorithms or robots. Eventually, a wide range of industries and jobs will be impacted by automation. However, for now, the first wave of jobs that machines are taking can be categorized using the four Ds: dull, dirty, dangerous and dear. This means humans will no longer be needed to do the jobs that machines can do faster, safer, cheaper and more accurately. Beyond the four Ds, machines, robots and algorithms will replace – or augment – many human jobs, including professional jobs in fields like law or accounting. From truck drivers to bricklayers to doctors, the list of jobs that are likely to be affected by automation is surprising. One estimate reckons that 47 percent of US jobs are at risk of automation.
2017
9 Technology Mega Trends That Will Change The World In 2018
Forbes
The Role of the Family
The movement of people in pursuit of economic opportunity and a secure environment will create more cosmopolitan population centres and change the character and utility of the family.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
The gender gap in labour force participation remains large
The much lower labour force participation rate of women, which stood at 48 per cent in 2018, com-pared with 75 per cent for men, means that around three in five of the 3.5 billion people in the global labour force in 2018 were men. After a period of rapid improvement that lasted until 2003, subsequent progress on closing the gender gap in participation rates has stalled. The sizeable gap of 27 percentage points registered in 2018 should motivate policy action aimed at both improving gender equality in global labour markets and maximizing human capabilities. Overall, labour force participation rates among adults have been declining for the past 25 years; the decline is even more pronounced among young people aged 15–24. This downward trend is projected to continue in the future. Some of the factors behind it – such as increased educational enrolment, greater retirement opportunities and higher life expectancy – are of course positive. Yet, the rise in the dependency ratio (i.e. the proportion of economically inactive people relative to the active) poses new challenges in terms of the organization of work and the distribution of resources in society.
2019
World Employment and Social Outlook
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering
The natural world is a testament to the vast potential inherent in the genetic code at the core of all living organisms. Rapid advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are allowing biologists and engineers to tap into this potential in unprecedented ways, enabling the development of new biological processes and organisms that are designed to serve specific purposes – whether converting biomass to chemicals, fuels and materials, producing new therapeutic drugs or protecting the body against harm.
2012
The top 10 emerging technologies for 2012
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Widely Affecting Antimicrobial Agents
The necessity of the technology that can effectively cope with new epidemics including super bacteria will increase. Therefore, widely affecting antimicrobial agents will appear as important technology.
2011
KISTEP 10 Emerging Technologies 2011
South Korea, Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP)