Trends Identified
Digital holography technology
Holography is the technology that records or reproduces the distribution of light, which is reflected or diffracted by the actual image. This technology completely reproduces the actual image to give a three-dimensional effect to viewers. Digital holography is implemented by using the electronic devices and optoelectronic devices, and the holographic data is processed by the optical information processing technique. Digital holography is the core base technology that can be applied and used in various industries, such as culture, arts, display, measurement industry, healthcare, and academia.
2012
KISTEP 10 Emerging Technologies 2012
South Korea, Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP)
Digital Identities
Managing identity in an increasingly digital world The digital expression of identity grows increasingly complex every day. Not so long ago, an employee’s entire digital presence belonged almost exclusively to the employer, a practice that culminated in the mainframe ID. As enterprise technology expanded to include new tools and platforms, the number of digital identities grew. Today, many workers must manage a dozen or more user names and passwords across different roles on different systems to do their jobs.
2012
Tech Trends 2012-Elevate IT for digital business
Deloitte
Digital lessons from Africa
More than in any other world region, mobiles have played a central role in the development of internet behaviors in Africa. This is borne out in the habits of its digital consumers; many online behaviors in Africa are distinctly different from those seen in other parts of the world, and the trends emerging in this region offer us a glimpse into how the coming era of mobile primacy could impact other markets.
2018
Trends 18
GlobalWebIndex
Digital Panopticon
Biometrics are already making exponential advances— technologies that were recently in the realm of science fiction now shape the reality of billions of people’s lives. Facial recognition, gait analysis, digital assistants, affective computing, microchipping, digital lip reading, fingerprint sensors—as these and other technologies proliferate, we move into a world in which everything about us is captured, stored and subjected to artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. This makes possible increasingly individualized public and private services, but also new forms of conformity and micro-targeted persuasion. If humans are increasingly replaced by machines in crucial decision loops, the result may lead not only to greater efficiency but also to greater societal rigidity. Global politics will be affected: authoritarianism is easier in a world of total visibility and traceability, while democracy may turn out to be more difficult—many societies are already struggling to balance threats to privacy, trust and autonomy against promises of increased security, efficiency and novelty. Geopolitically, the future may hinge in part on how societies with different values treat new reservoirs of data. Strong systems of accountability for governments and companies using these technologies could help to mitigate the risks to individuals from biometric surveillance. This will be possible in some domestic contexts, but developing wider global norms with any traction will be a struggle.
2019
The Global Risks Report 2019 14th Edition
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Digital payments and currency
E.g., mobile payment systems, etc.
2016
Disruptive technologies barometer
KPMG
Digital Platforms
As digital business moves away from siloed business ventures and toward interconnected ecosystems, technology is evolving from compartmentalized technical infrastructure to ecosystem enabling platforms. Businesses must think about how to create platform-based business models and what technology is needed to support that move.
2017
Top Trends in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2017
Gartner
Digital reality
The augmented reality and virtual reality revolution has reached a tipping point. Driven by a historic transformation in the way we interact with technology and data, market leaders are shifting their focus from proofs of concept and niche offerings to strategies anchored in innovative use cases and prototypes designed for industrialization. They are laying the groundwork for broader deployment by tackling issues such as integration experiences with the core, cloud deployment, connectivity, cognitive, analytics, and access. Some have even begun developing new design patterns and nurturing non-traditional skillsets, heralding a new era of engagement. These early adopters recognize a shift in the AR/VR winds: The time to embrace digital reality is now.
2017
Tech trends 2018
Deloitte
Digital Technology
Digital information and communications technologies (ICTs) have continued to rapidly advance. All parts of the world are now major users. Mobile phone ownership in Africa is now comparable to that in the USA, with about one connection per capita. Yet, while some digital gaps have closed, others continually open with the introduction of new technologies. In the context of implementing SDGs in Africa, information and communications technologies may play a role comparable to that of machines in the replacement of labour in the industrial age. 11 However, whereas the machines of the industrial era functioned as isolated and individual artefacts in one local environment, ICTs and knowledge creation exist as a hierarchy of networks that bring about innovations. 12, 13 Great technology potential has been accompanied by equally great concerns about social, political, economic and environmental impacts . The new fifth generation (5G) mobile phones enable vastly faster data connections than traditional phones. The “Internet of Things” is emerging and it interconnects physical objects to internet infrastructure. 3D printing enables the making of three-dimensional objects from a digital file, and together with robotics it has the potential to significantly alter the geographical distribution of manufacturing with important impacts on global labour markets and imbalances. “Big data” technologies transform the way governments, citizens, and companies do business, but they have led to concerns about erosion of privacy and freedom of expression. Similarly, wireless sensor networks have great efficiency potentials in many areas, but there are concerns about their impact on privacy, freedom and development. Big Data and the Internet of Things through the use of huge datasets and Internet-connected sensors potentially adds to the existing toolkit for sustainable development (e.g., in health, agriculture, food security, sustainable urbanization, etc.), but can also introduce risks related to data privacy and security. Because of cloud computing platforms that provide low-cost access to compute and storage capabilities as well as Free and Open Source Big Data and Internet of Things technologies, such technologies can serve as platforms for locally-relevant, pro-poor innovation without significant capital investments. However, this requires the requisite local talent to tailor solutions to local needs. National governments must also consider the limits of big data analysis (especially for causal inference and policy analysis), how such technologies can serve existing national development planning, regulatory frameworks for securing the rights of citizens with respect to privacy and security, and strengthening human capital and the larger ecosystem to effectively use such tools. 14 “Big data” has transformed the volume, velocity, and character of the information that we are able to procure regarding virtually every aspect of human life. 15 Online participatory tools increasing transparency and accountability in global sustainable development governance allow greater access to sharing of substantive information on the issues addressed by the civil society, international organisations and member states for realization of agenda 2030. 16 At the same time, the scientific community highlighted the idea that the most sustainable way to bring the deepest results of the digital revolution to developing communities is to enable them to participate in creating their own technological tools for finding solutions to their own problems. 17 120 | Global Sustainable Development Report 2016 3D Printing (3DP) can cost-effectively lower manufacturing inputs and outputs in markets with low volume, customized and high-value production chains. It could potentially help countries and regions that did not participate in the industrial revolution develop new manufacturing capabilities, especially for low volume, highly complex parts. Applications range from automobile and aerospace manufacturing to rapid-prototyping, healthcare, and education. Low cost consumer 3DP printers can help local people in developing and developed countries to produce a range of useful products, from basic assistive technologies to educational aids. For example, the projects of the Rapid Foundation in India and Uganda have shown that low cost printers are easy to build, use, fix or modify and are robust in remote locations. With expert training, anybody can become comfortable with using these printers in a few hours. 18 Further low-cost applications in science, education and sustainable development are detailed in a recent ICTP open book. 19 3D printing presents a number of challenges, including possibly disrupting existing manufacturing global value chains, decreasing labour demand for housing and construction, and potentially enabling the physical production of illegal 3D models that could pose both economic and security threats. There are potential environmental benefits (lower energy use, resource demands and CO 2 ), if 3D printing displaces existing transportation and logistics routes for shipping of goods and products. A recent study concluded: “ If 3DP was applicable to larger production volumes in consumer products or automotive manufacturing, it contains the (theoretical) potential to absolutely decouple energy and CO 2 .” 20 However, as 3DP is expected to remain a niche technology by 2025 reductions in energy and CO 2 emission intensities of industrial manufacturing could only be reduced by a small factor through 3DP by that date. Massive Open Online Courses potentially provide resource- poor regions and individuals more equitable access to world-class education content. Widespread global Internet access is impacting how we learn, as seen in the availability of various online learning platforms such as massive open online courses (MOOCs). 21 With low-cost replication of recognized content and education, personalized, self- paced learning, and interactive data-driven user interfaces, students potentially have access to material that previously would have been out of reach. However, MOOCs may not provide locally-relevant content tailored to a specific national context. Furthermore, MOOCs could replace the jobs of existing teachers and widen existing educational divides (i.e., providing a disproportionate advantage to individuals with access to the Internet and education). One nonprofit university based in Rwanda combines online learning content with in-person seminars to deliver degree programs that are locally-relevant, appropriately priced, and stimulate local employment. At this point, the potential impact of MOOCs requires more study, both globally in terms of existing platforms as well as of users in specific national contexts, along with implications for educational systems and employment. Optimal system use of radio, mobile phone, GIS and remote sensing technologies is considered vital for transforming rural populations. 22 The use of GIS to monitor an ever wider array of parameters at ever higher spatio-temporal resolutions allows us to consistently and constantly measure and monitor a huge array of environmental factors, allowing the enforcement of regulations, which would otherwise be impossible. 23, 24 Yet, data management remains a challenge for many countries, as they lack both skilled staff and technologies for effectively collecting or reporting reliable data. Many of the commonly used spatial database platforms are proprietary and are too expensive for many organizations in developing countries. 25
2016
Global sustainable development report 2016
United Nations
Digital Technology
The branch of scientific or engineering knowledge that deals with creation and practical use of digital or computerised devices, methods, systems is named digital technology (Dictionary.com, 2015). The adoption of digital technology has had an enormous impact on economy, politics, personal life and society in terms of connectivity and interacting in real-time. Digitalisation of industries or sectors is providing new opportunities and enabling new business models such as sharing economy for environment and welfares.
2017
Science & Technology Foresight Malaysia
Malaysia, Academy of Sciences Malaysia