The following information is used for educational purposes only.
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/2206500-dflb-kad-v-d-ad-vkad-v-a-sdv-adva-dfv-avj-el-campo-otra-vez-esquilmado
In this blog, teachers, students and all those who have some kind of interest in the English language will find useful, interesting, curious and funny things to be used in their classes or for their personal enjoyment.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Augmented and virtual reality: the promise and peril of immersive technologies, by Stefan Hall and Ryo Takahashi
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Augmented and virtual reality: the promise and peril of immersive technologies
'AR and VR are expected to grow into a $95 billion market by 2025' Image: REUTERS/Albert Gea
08 Sep 2017
Stefan Hall
Project and Engagement Lead, Information and Entertainment System Initiative, World Economic Forum
Ryo Takahashi
Project Collaborator, Word Economic Forum
We are at the cusp of a major revolution from mobile to immersive computing. Last year was seen as the dawn of a third wave of devices employing augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), which define the two spectrums of immersive technology that could replace mobile computing.
A range of major products came to market in 2016 from companies including Oculus VR, Sony and Google. Since it bought Oculus for $2.1 billion, Facebook has acquired a further 11 AR/VR companies, underscoring the company’s view that VR and AR will form the next frontier. The large investments and acquisitions by tech giants suggest that these technologies will become increasingly integrated with the platforms on which we consume content.
According to a recent estimate by Goldman Sachs, AR and VR are expected to grow into a $95 billion market by 2025. As the chart below shows, the strongest demand for the technologies currently comes from industries in the creative economy - specifically, gaming, live events, video entertainment and retail – but will find wider applications in industries as diverse as healthcare, education, the military and real estate over time.
Four ways AR/VR will change how we create and experience content
Moving from observation to immersion
AR and VR will offer a completely new creative medium – “an artist’s dream to build worlds, pixel by pixel,” according to Drue Kataoka, an artist and technologist. This promises the replacement of rectilinear devices with technologies that depict worlds in ever-expanding concentric circles, providing a level of immersion and experience that has never been seen before. This could be game-changing: users will no longer view content but will be placed inside ever-expanding virtual worlds and find themselves at the centre, hence the “immersive” nature of the technology.
“We’ve effectively had the same flat screen medium since 1896. VR/AR uniquely provides a sense of presence and immersion, it’s a brand new art form and brand new form of experiencing,” says Eugene Chung, founder and CEO at Penrose Studios.
Reduced production costs in creative activities
“Virtual prototyping” allows us to shorten the time and cost of iteration in product development while also improving the quality of the end product. For example, one design firm passed $50,000 worth of savings to a client in the aeronautics industry by using VR prototyping to abolish two physical prototype cycles and eliminate the time that would have been required for the assembly of custom samples. Wider use of virtual prototyping will allow companies to reduce the number of costly prototypes needed, as well as significantly decreasing the timeline from conceptual design to production and commercialization.
“You can iterate on your city plan, your home and your construction worksite many more times before you actually start to dig or make a change. As a result, we’re going to get better creations,” says Jeffrey Powers, co-founder and CEO of Occipital.
While traditional technologies also allow companies to prototype, with immersive tech, designers are provided a more direct experience by being able to walk, fly and interact with their prototypes, either in a VR or AR environment. The implication is that immersive technologies promise higher accuracy in design and, as a consequence, an end product of higher quality at a potentially cheaper cost than traditional prototyping technologies can provide.
Lower barriers to entry for new creators
Immersive technologies will also empower smaller firms to produce higher quality content at lower cost. The technology already exists to process 360-degree imagery in hours – something that until recently would take days – and is within reach for filmmakers on small budgets. In the same way that smartphones and apps moved mobile photography outside the realm of professionals and enthusiastic hobbyists, we can expect AR and VR to open up new creative avenues for all of us.
As a tool for empathy and cognitive enhancement
Immersive technologies may also allow us to feel closer to global issues, such as humanitarian crises, enabling a form of telepresence that evokes levels of empathy as if one were present. According to Lynette Wallworth, an artist and director, AR and VR “provide a layer of authenticity of experience” not offered by other mediums.
Although there are suggestions that increased consumption of digital media can cause a decline in empathy, many artists working with AR and VR are convinced that the medium will become the “ultimate empathy machine”, fostering a society with informed perspectives of other communities and identities. Gabo Arora, founder and president of Lightshed and a creative director and senior advisor at the United Nations, explains: “You’re discovering a new grammar of storytelling and emotions”. If the optimists are right, we could be well on the way to a more informed and creative world.
There is also promise for VR and AR to provide immersive learning experiences. Beyond immediate gamified learning, VR and AR’s biosensors have been harnessed in therapeutic domains, allowing one man to drive for the first time in his life using just his brain. “[Immersive technologies] are a form of brain augmentation that networks our biological systems to a digital device,” says Tan Le, CEO of Emotiv.
Competition for talent is a limit to growth
Beyond technical challenges – ranging from device size to battery life – one potential barrier to rapid progress in the AR/VR industry is the lack of talent to meet the demand for growth. The industry is at “ground zero”, so it is difficult to show the gap in supply and demand of talent. However, initial informal measures exist, such as US data showing that demand for freelancers with VR expertise grew far faster than that for any other skill in the second quarter of 2017, a 30-fold, year-on-year increase. Similarly, a recent survey of 200 Canadian companies working on VR projects concluded that VR will face a talent crunch that “could fuel consolidation between companies”.
Strategically developing domestic talent
Governments would be wise to develop strategic planning that captures talent in emerging technologies to guarantee their countries are at the leading edge of the next computing frontier. China is one example of an early mover and, according to Di Yi, vice-president of Perfect World Co., “the Chinese government offers substantial support for the VR industry.”
Areas such as Zhongguancun, Beijing, are subsidizing companies by up to $1.45m to further develop the VR industry and position the region as the next global technological hub. Other locales, including Beidouwan VR Village, in Guizhou province, offer grants to support content development and investment. By 2019, the village is expected to produce 1.5 million pieces of VR-related hardware, as well as 500,000 transactions of software content – delivering 3,500 new jobs in the process.
Enticing foreign talent
Governments can also take an active role in investing in immersive content. A 2016 survey of 500 AR/VR professionals reported that almost 50% are using their own personal funds to develop their companies. Fewer than 8% reported ‘other’ sources of funds, including government. Given that VR production costs can run into the hundreds of thousands, forward-looking policy-makers are promoting subsidies to entice VR talent from around the world. The canniest ensure that, in the process of doing so, they protect and develop their own industries at the same time.
In France, for example, the government-backed CNC Fund provides funding for VR/AR producers to co-produce content with local teams, offering grants that cover both development and production. In one recent example, the fund supported around 40% of the €500,000 costs required to produce a VR short film. The CNC also has the authority to award a tax rebate of up to 30% of qualifying expenditures to projects wholly or partly made in France and initiated by non-French companies.
Do these approaches work? While the effect on VR content is still being evaluated, the policy appears to have been effective in supporting ‘traditional’ filmmaking in France. Around a year after implementation, 31 projects from eight different countries had been launched, compared to only four in the previous year. These projects, which included blockbusters such as Inception, were estimated to generate approximately €119 million in direct spending in France and involve 450 days of filming – compared to €7.4 million in spending and 84 days of filming in the year leading up to the policy. Considering the nascent stage of VR, it is too early to tell whether the gains can be transferred to this new industry, but the attractiveness of the mechanism to creators is clear.
Immersive content will be more personalized – but at a cost
Designers of software have an incentive to keep users inside of their websites and apps because their business models increasingly rely on the collection of personal data as a way to personalize content.
Adam Alter, associate professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, describes the strategy as a “brute force, big data-driven” approach: “Companies A/B test different features of a product and iterate to the point that is maximally difficult to avoid”. In addition, deep-pocketed companies have “teams of psychologists working according to the latest information to make humans more engaged”.
Indeed, evidence from the last decade shows that, while our overall leisure time is increasing, we are spending more of it using screen-based devices. A key driver of this shift is the practice of taking engagement as the main success metric for digital technology. The more time we spend on a device, the more data there is to collect about our interactions and the more targeted product offerings become – a reinforcing cycle that is likely to speed up as immersive technologies enter the mainstream.
The result is that the content we experience in immersive technology will be increasingly personalized. This could play out in a number of ways, but advertising, in particular, is well-placed to benefit.
Advertising promises to be more targeted
Advertising is already increasingly personalized as our personal data allows better and better targeting. In the context of immersive technologies, the term “gaze-through rate” has been coined to describe the effectiveness of an augmented or virtual advertisement in capturing user attention. Companies such as Retinad offer analytics to track behaviour on VR/AR devices with an aim to increase the conversion rate from advertisements as well as user engagement with content. Thus far, they have been shown to be up to 30 times more effective in engaging users than mobile advertisements.
Greater engagement may negatively impact well-being and privacy
The drive to capture our attention creates two challenges. First, our well-being is at stake: non-screen activities are more clearly linked to happiness than not. One longitudinal study of a major social network found a negative association with increased engagement and individual well-being, suggesting “a possible trade-off between offline and online relationships”. Teenagers in the US who devote just six to nine hours a week to social media are 47% more likely to say they are unhappy than those who use social media even less.
Secondly, a lack of sovereignty over personal data may push users away from the long-term adoption of new technologies. A report by the World Economic Forum shows that 47% of people across six countries have stopped or avoided using a service because of inadequate user controls and this figure rises as high as 70% for China. This suggests that user privacy and data controls are a key concern for consumers. Given the enhanced data tracking features from immersive technologies, from tracking eye-movements and facial expressions to haptic data (relating to the sense of touch), the personal data at risk will become more intimate than ever making worries about user privacy a far more serious concern.
Recommendations for user-centered design
Regulatory frameworks
The privacy concerns relating to traditional media are already surfacing in immersive content. If developers are unwilling to provide clear and agreeable terms of use, regulators must step in to protect individuals – as some jurisdictions have already.
The best place from which to draw inspiration for how immersive technologies may be regulated is the regulatory frameworks being put into effect for traditional digital technology today. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force in 2018. Not only does the law necessitate unambiguous consent for data collection, it also compels companies to erase individual data on request, with the threat of a fine of up to 4% of their global annual turnover for breaches. Furthermore, enshrined in the bill is the notion of ‘data portability’, which allows consumers to take their data across platforms – an incentive for an innovative start-up to compete with the biggest players. We may see similar regulatory norms for immersive technologies develop as well.
Providing users with sovereignty of personal data
Analysis shows that the major VR companies already use cookies to store data, while also collecting information on location, browser and device type and IP address. Furthermore, communication with other users in VR environments is being stored and aggregated data is shared with third parties and used to customize products for marketing purposes.
Concern over these methods of personal data collection has led to the introduction of temporary solutions that provide a buffer between individuals and companies. For example, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s ‘Privacy Badger’ is a browser extension that automatically blocks hidden third-party trackers and allows users to customize and control the amount of data they share with online content providers. A similar solution that returns control of personal data should be developed for immersive technologies. At present, only blunt instruments are available to individuals uncomfortable with data collection but keen to explore AR/VR: using ‘offline modes’ or using separate profiles for new devices.
Managing consumption
Short-term measures also exist to address overuse in the form of stopping mechanisms. Pop-up usage warnings once healthy limits are approached or exceeded are reportedly supported by 71% of young people in the UK. Services like unGlue allow parents to place filters on content types that their children are exposed to, as well as time limits on usage across apps.
All of these could be transferred to immersive technologies, and are complementary fixes to actual regulation, such as South Korea’s Shutdown Law. This prevents children under the age of 16 from playing computer games between midnight and 6am. The policy is enforceable because it ties personal details – including date of birth – to a citizen’s resident registration number, which is required to create accounts for online services. These solutions are not infallible: one could easily imagine an enterprising child might ‘borrow’ an adult’s device after-hours to find a workaround to the restrictions. Further study is certainly needed, but we believe that long-term solutions may lie in better design.
Rethinking success metrics for digital technology
As businesses develop applications using immersive technologies, they should transition from using metrics that measure just the amount of user engagement to metrics that also take into account user satisfaction, fulfilment and enhancement of well-being. Alternative metrics could include a net promoter score for software, which would indicate how strongly users – or perhaps even regulators – recommend the service to their friends based on their level of fulfilment or satisfaction with a service.
The real challenge, however, is to find measures that align with business policy and user objectives. As Tristan Harris, Founder of Time Well Spent argues: “We have to come face-to-face with the current misalignment so we can start to generate solutions.” There are instances where improvements to user experience go hand-in-hand with business opportunities. Subscription-based services are one such example: YouTube Red will eliminate advertisements for paying users, as does Spotify Premium. These are examples where users can pay to enjoy advertising-free experiences and which do not come at the cost to the content developers since they will receive revenue in the form of paid subscriptions.
More work remains if immersive technologies are to enable happier, more fulfilling interactions with content and media. This will largely depend on designing technology that puts the user at the centre of its value proposition.
This is part of a series of articles related to the disruptive effects of several technologies (virtual/augmented reality, artificial intelligence and blockchain) on the creative economy.
In addition to the experts quoted, the authors would like to thank the following constituents for their input and comments on this article: Aaron VanDevender, Chief Scientist and Principal, Founders Fund; Allen Yang, Professor, University of California, Berkeley; Deepak Krishnamurthy, Executive Vice-President, Chief Strategy Officer, SAP; Geng Danhao, Senior Vice-President, iQIYI.com; Jonathan Dunn, Partner, McKinsey & Company; Masa Inakage, Professor, Keio University; Matt Weiss, Managing Director, IDEO CoLAB; Masaru Sugiyama, Vice-President, Goldman Sachs.
Written by
Stefan Hall, Project and Engagement Lead, Information and Entertainment System Initiative, World Economic Forum
Ryo Takahashi, Project Collaborator, Word Economic Forum
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/augmented-and-virtual-reality-will-change-how-we-create-and-consume-and-bring-new-risks
Augmented and virtual reality: the promise and peril of immersive technologies
'AR and VR are expected to grow into a $95 billion market by 2025' Image: REUTERS/Albert Gea
08 Sep 2017
Stefan Hall
Project and Engagement Lead, Information and Entertainment System Initiative, World Economic Forum
Ryo Takahashi
Project Collaborator, Word Economic Forum
We are at the cusp of a major revolution from mobile to immersive computing. Last year was seen as the dawn of a third wave of devices employing augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), which define the two spectrums of immersive technology that could replace mobile computing.
A range of major products came to market in 2016 from companies including Oculus VR, Sony and Google. Since it bought Oculus for $2.1 billion, Facebook has acquired a further 11 AR/VR companies, underscoring the company’s view that VR and AR will form the next frontier. The large investments and acquisitions by tech giants suggest that these technologies will become increasingly integrated with the platforms on which we consume content.
According to a recent estimate by Goldman Sachs, AR and VR are expected to grow into a $95 billion market by 2025. As the chart below shows, the strongest demand for the technologies currently comes from industries in the creative economy - specifically, gaming, live events, video entertainment and retail – but will find wider applications in industries as diverse as healthcare, education, the military and real estate over time.
Four ways AR/VR will change how we create and experience content
Moving from observation to immersion
AR and VR will offer a completely new creative medium – “an artist’s dream to build worlds, pixel by pixel,” according to Drue Kataoka, an artist and technologist. This promises the replacement of rectilinear devices with technologies that depict worlds in ever-expanding concentric circles, providing a level of immersion and experience that has never been seen before. This could be game-changing: users will no longer view content but will be placed inside ever-expanding virtual worlds and find themselves at the centre, hence the “immersive” nature of the technology.
“We’ve effectively had the same flat screen medium since 1896. VR/AR uniquely provides a sense of presence and immersion, it’s a brand new art form and brand new form of experiencing,” says Eugene Chung, founder and CEO at Penrose Studios.
Reduced production costs in creative activities
“Virtual prototyping” allows us to shorten the time and cost of iteration in product development while also improving the quality of the end product. For example, one design firm passed $50,000 worth of savings to a client in the aeronautics industry by using VR prototyping to abolish two physical prototype cycles and eliminate the time that would have been required for the assembly of custom samples. Wider use of virtual prototyping will allow companies to reduce the number of costly prototypes needed, as well as significantly decreasing the timeline from conceptual design to production and commercialization.
“You can iterate on your city plan, your home and your construction worksite many more times before you actually start to dig or make a change. As a result, we’re going to get better creations,” says Jeffrey Powers, co-founder and CEO of Occipital.
While traditional technologies also allow companies to prototype, with immersive tech, designers are provided a more direct experience by being able to walk, fly and interact with their prototypes, either in a VR or AR environment. The implication is that immersive technologies promise higher accuracy in design and, as a consequence, an end product of higher quality at a potentially cheaper cost than traditional prototyping technologies can provide.
Lower barriers to entry for new creators
Immersive technologies will also empower smaller firms to produce higher quality content at lower cost. The technology already exists to process 360-degree imagery in hours – something that until recently would take days – and is within reach for filmmakers on small budgets. In the same way that smartphones and apps moved mobile photography outside the realm of professionals and enthusiastic hobbyists, we can expect AR and VR to open up new creative avenues for all of us.
As a tool for empathy and cognitive enhancement
Immersive technologies may also allow us to feel closer to global issues, such as humanitarian crises, enabling a form of telepresence that evokes levels of empathy as if one were present. According to Lynette Wallworth, an artist and director, AR and VR “provide a layer of authenticity of experience” not offered by other mediums.
Although there are suggestions that increased consumption of digital media can cause a decline in empathy, many artists working with AR and VR are convinced that the medium will become the “ultimate empathy machine”, fostering a society with informed perspectives of other communities and identities. Gabo Arora, founder and president of Lightshed and a creative director and senior advisor at the United Nations, explains: “You’re discovering a new grammar of storytelling and emotions”. If the optimists are right, we could be well on the way to a more informed and creative world.
There is also promise for VR and AR to provide immersive learning experiences. Beyond immediate gamified learning, VR and AR’s biosensors have been harnessed in therapeutic domains, allowing one man to drive for the first time in his life using just his brain. “[Immersive technologies] are a form of brain augmentation that networks our biological systems to a digital device,” says Tan Le, CEO of Emotiv.
Competition for talent is a limit to growth
Beyond technical challenges – ranging from device size to battery life – one potential barrier to rapid progress in the AR/VR industry is the lack of talent to meet the demand for growth. The industry is at “ground zero”, so it is difficult to show the gap in supply and demand of talent. However, initial informal measures exist, such as US data showing that demand for freelancers with VR expertise grew far faster than that for any other skill in the second quarter of 2017, a 30-fold, year-on-year increase. Similarly, a recent survey of 200 Canadian companies working on VR projects concluded that VR will face a talent crunch that “could fuel consolidation between companies”.
Strategically developing domestic talent
Governments would be wise to develop strategic planning that captures talent in emerging technologies to guarantee their countries are at the leading edge of the next computing frontier. China is one example of an early mover and, according to Di Yi, vice-president of Perfect World Co., “the Chinese government offers substantial support for the VR industry.”
Areas such as Zhongguancun, Beijing, are subsidizing companies by up to $1.45m to further develop the VR industry and position the region as the next global technological hub. Other locales, including Beidouwan VR Village, in Guizhou province, offer grants to support content development and investment. By 2019, the village is expected to produce 1.5 million pieces of VR-related hardware, as well as 500,000 transactions of software content – delivering 3,500 new jobs in the process.
Enticing foreign talent
Governments can also take an active role in investing in immersive content. A 2016 survey of 500 AR/VR professionals reported that almost 50% are using their own personal funds to develop their companies. Fewer than 8% reported ‘other’ sources of funds, including government. Given that VR production costs can run into the hundreds of thousands, forward-looking policy-makers are promoting subsidies to entice VR talent from around the world. The canniest ensure that, in the process of doing so, they protect and develop their own industries at the same time.
In France, for example, the government-backed CNC Fund provides funding for VR/AR producers to co-produce content with local teams, offering grants that cover both development and production. In one recent example, the fund supported around 40% of the €500,000 costs required to produce a VR short film. The CNC also has the authority to award a tax rebate of up to 30% of qualifying expenditures to projects wholly or partly made in France and initiated by non-French companies.
Do these approaches work? While the effect on VR content is still being evaluated, the policy appears to have been effective in supporting ‘traditional’ filmmaking in France. Around a year after implementation, 31 projects from eight different countries had been launched, compared to only four in the previous year. These projects, which included blockbusters such as Inception, were estimated to generate approximately €119 million in direct spending in France and involve 450 days of filming – compared to €7.4 million in spending and 84 days of filming in the year leading up to the policy. Considering the nascent stage of VR, it is too early to tell whether the gains can be transferred to this new industry, but the attractiveness of the mechanism to creators is clear.
Immersive content will be more personalized – but at a cost
Designers of software have an incentive to keep users inside of their websites and apps because their business models increasingly rely on the collection of personal data as a way to personalize content.
Adam Alter, associate professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, describes the strategy as a “brute force, big data-driven” approach: “Companies A/B test different features of a product and iterate to the point that is maximally difficult to avoid”. In addition, deep-pocketed companies have “teams of psychologists working according to the latest information to make humans more engaged”.
Indeed, evidence from the last decade shows that, while our overall leisure time is increasing, we are spending more of it using screen-based devices. A key driver of this shift is the practice of taking engagement as the main success metric for digital technology. The more time we spend on a device, the more data there is to collect about our interactions and the more targeted product offerings become – a reinforcing cycle that is likely to speed up as immersive technologies enter the mainstream.
The result is that the content we experience in immersive technology will be increasingly personalized. This could play out in a number of ways, but advertising, in particular, is well-placed to benefit.
Advertising promises to be more targeted
Advertising is already increasingly personalized as our personal data allows better and better targeting. In the context of immersive technologies, the term “gaze-through rate” has been coined to describe the effectiveness of an augmented or virtual advertisement in capturing user attention. Companies such as Retinad offer analytics to track behaviour on VR/AR devices with an aim to increase the conversion rate from advertisements as well as user engagement with content. Thus far, they have been shown to be up to 30 times more effective in engaging users than mobile advertisements.
Greater engagement may negatively impact well-being and privacy
The drive to capture our attention creates two challenges. First, our well-being is at stake: non-screen activities are more clearly linked to happiness than not. One longitudinal study of a major social network found a negative association with increased engagement and individual well-being, suggesting “a possible trade-off between offline and online relationships”. Teenagers in the US who devote just six to nine hours a week to social media are 47% more likely to say they are unhappy than those who use social media even less.
Secondly, a lack of sovereignty over personal data may push users away from the long-term adoption of new technologies. A report by the World Economic Forum shows that 47% of people across six countries have stopped or avoided using a service because of inadequate user controls and this figure rises as high as 70% for China. This suggests that user privacy and data controls are a key concern for consumers. Given the enhanced data tracking features from immersive technologies, from tracking eye-movements and facial expressions to haptic data (relating to the sense of touch), the personal data at risk will become more intimate than ever making worries about user privacy a far more serious concern.
Recommendations for user-centered design
Regulatory frameworks
The privacy concerns relating to traditional media are already surfacing in immersive content. If developers are unwilling to provide clear and agreeable terms of use, regulators must step in to protect individuals – as some jurisdictions have already.
The best place from which to draw inspiration for how immersive technologies may be regulated is the regulatory frameworks being put into effect for traditional digital technology today. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force in 2018. Not only does the law necessitate unambiguous consent for data collection, it also compels companies to erase individual data on request, with the threat of a fine of up to 4% of their global annual turnover for breaches. Furthermore, enshrined in the bill is the notion of ‘data portability’, which allows consumers to take their data across platforms – an incentive for an innovative start-up to compete with the biggest players. We may see similar regulatory norms for immersive technologies develop as well.
Providing users with sovereignty of personal data
Analysis shows that the major VR companies already use cookies to store data, while also collecting information on location, browser and device type and IP address. Furthermore, communication with other users in VR environments is being stored and aggregated data is shared with third parties and used to customize products for marketing purposes.
Concern over these methods of personal data collection has led to the introduction of temporary solutions that provide a buffer between individuals and companies. For example, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s ‘Privacy Badger’ is a browser extension that automatically blocks hidden third-party trackers and allows users to customize and control the amount of data they share with online content providers. A similar solution that returns control of personal data should be developed for immersive technologies. At present, only blunt instruments are available to individuals uncomfortable with data collection but keen to explore AR/VR: using ‘offline modes’ or using separate profiles for new devices.
Managing consumption
Short-term measures also exist to address overuse in the form of stopping mechanisms. Pop-up usage warnings once healthy limits are approached or exceeded are reportedly supported by 71% of young people in the UK. Services like unGlue allow parents to place filters on content types that their children are exposed to, as well as time limits on usage across apps.
All of these could be transferred to immersive technologies, and are complementary fixes to actual regulation, such as South Korea’s Shutdown Law. This prevents children under the age of 16 from playing computer games between midnight and 6am. The policy is enforceable because it ties personal details – including date of birth – to a citizen’s resident registration number, which is required to create accounts for online services. These solutions are not infallible: one could easily imagine an enterprising child might ‘borrow’ an adult’s device after-hours to find a workaround to the restrictions. Further study is certainly needed, but we believe that long-term solutions may lie in better design.
Rethinking success metrics for digital technology
As businesses develop applications using immersive technologies, they should transition from using metrics that measure just the amount of user engagement to metrics that also take into account user satisfaction, fulfilment and enhancement of well-being. Alternative metrics could include a net promoter score for software, which would indicate how strongly users – or perhaps even regulators – recommend the service to their friends based on their level of fulfilment or satisfaction with a service.
The real challenge, however, is to find measures that align with business policy and user objectives. As Tristan Harris, Founder of Time Well Spent argues: “We have to come face-to-face with the current misalignment so we can start to generate solutions.” There are instances where improvements to user experience go hand-in-hand with business opportunities. Subscription-based services are one such example: YouTube Red will eliminate advertisements for paying users, as does Spotify Premium. These are examples where users can pay to enjoy advertising-free experiences and which do not come at the cost to the content developers since they will receive revenue in the form of paid subscriptions.
More work remains if immersive technologies are to enable happier, more fulfilling interactions with content and media. This will largely depend on designing technology that puts the user at the centre of its value proposition.
This is part of a series of articles related to the disruptive effects of several technologies (virtual/augmented reality, artificial intelligence and blockchain) on the creative economy.
In addition to the experts quoted, the authors would like to thank the following constituents for their input and comments on this article: Aaron VanDevender, Chief Scientist and Principal, Founders Fund; Allen Yang, Professor, University of California, Berkeley; Deepak Krishnamurthy, Executive Vice-President, Chief Strategy Officer, SAP; Geng Danhao, Senior Vice-President, iQIYI.com; Jonathan Dunn, Partner, McKinsey & Company; Masa Inakage, Professor, Keio University; Matt Weiss, Managing Director, IDEO CoLAB; Masaru Sugiyama, Vice-President, Goldman Sachs.
Written by
Stefan Hall, Project and Engagement Lead, Information and Entertainment System Initiative, World Economic Forum
Ryo Takahashi, Project Collaborator, Word Economic Forum
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/augmented-and-virtual-reality-will-change-how-we-create-and-consume-and-bring-new-risks
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
El periodismo venezolano frente a la posverdad bolivariana, por ALBERTO BARRERA TYSZKA
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
El periodismo venezolano frente a la posverdad bolivariana
Por ALBERTO BARRERA TYSZKA
16 de diciembre de 2018
Aún en la máquina de rotativas, la última edición impresa del periódico venezolano El Nacional Credit Miguel Gutiérrez/Epa-EFE vía Rex
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO — El viernes 14 de diciembre salió por última vez en Venezuela la edición impresa del periódico El Nacional. De ahora en adelante, ese medio de comunicación solo estará disponible en internet. Se trata de un diario que tiene 75 años y que es considerado una institución en el ejercicio y la formación de periodistas. Es una referencia ineludible a la hora de entender las noticias y el debate público en el país. Su paso a la edición en línea no es una elección sino una condena. En lo que va del año, otros treinta diarios ya dejaron de circular; diez de ellos tuvieron que cerrar de manera definitiva.
Todo es parte de la misma guerra que desde hace años ha desarrollado el gobierno de Venezuela en contra de la información. El chavismo no soporta la transparencia.
Desde que Nicolás Maduro asumió la presidencia en 2013, comenzó a establecerse un claro patrón oficial para el control de la información. En una extraña movida, dos de los principales diarios del país fueron comprados por grupos económicos no identificados que, de forma inmediata, pusieron su línea editorial al servicio del gobierno. De la misma manera, el Estado consolidó su monopolio en la importación de papel periódico e insumos para las empresas gráficas. Así se fue asfixiando al periodismo impreso independiente. Hoy hay un 70 por ciento menos de periódicos que hace cinco años. Los diarios que se mantienen, se publican y se distribuyen, solo se dedican a la comunicación corporativa: permanecen en el marco de la información inofensiva y del aparato de propaganda gubernamental.
Llama la atención la insistencia con que el chavismo contabiliza y clasifica las informaciones. Esta semana, en un encuentro con representantes de la prensa, Nicolás Maduro denunció que “se han editado más de 4142 noticias negativas” sobre Venezuela, como si esa suma no fuera la expresión de un país en conflicto, lleno de problemas, sino la demostración irrefutable de la existencia de una descomunal conspiración en su contra. Maduro cree que lo que ocurre no se impone, que no importa que la realidad sea evidente. Piensa que el periodismo siempre puede ordenar y decidir qué puede o debe ser o no ser una noticia.
Martín Caparrós ha dicho que la posverdad es una palabra nueva para hablar de esa antigüedad que conocemos como la mentira. Es cierto. Pero quizás la novedad lexical solo desea precisar mejor la naturaleza de un proceso político cada vez más común: se miente desde la obviedad de la mentira. Se propone el engaño como una invitación explícita a desdeñar los hechos objetivos, a confiar más en la velocidad de la plataforma que en la profundidad de los datos. La posverdad solo puede existir descalificando de manera permanente al periodismo.
En la brevísima pero muy costosa visita que Nicolás Maduro hizo a México a principios de este mes, estaba previsto un “acto de masas” en solidaridad con el gobierno venezolano. El mandatario se fue pero sus ministros Jorge Arreaza y Ernesto Villegas se quedaron un día más para participar junto a representantes de varios sindicatos mexicanos en el evento. También estuvieron presentes algunos padres de los jóvenes desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa. Maduro apareció en un video grabado, dando un mensaje a los trabajadores de México. Habló de la solidaridad y del amor, criticó la “derecha malinche”, saludó y celebró a la “clase obrera”. Pero no mencionó a Rubén González, un dirigente sindical venezolano detenido, precisamente en esos mismos días, por la policía política de su gobierno. Tampoco habló de los nueve trabajadores de la ferrominera estatal, igualmente detenidos por protestar y exigir mejoras salariales, enjuiciados por un tribunal militar y llevados a prisión, acusados de traición a la patria. En lo alto del podio destacaba una gran pancarta: “Clase obrera mexicana con Venezuela”.
En el mismo acto, el canciller Arreaza abrazó a algunos familiares de los estudiantes de Ayotzinapa y destacó el “privilegio” de poder realizar ese gesto mientras sentenciaba con certeza que “habrá justicia”. Lo que no dijo el canciller Arreaza es que, en Venezuela, el gobierno que él representa ha desarrollado un operativo policial y militar —la Operación de Liberación del Pueblo— que, solamente entre 2015 y 2017, asesinó de forma extrajudicial a más de quinientas personas. Según la investigación periodística y el trabajo de organizaciones de derechos humanos, en los últimos quince años en Venezuela se han producido diez masacres realizadas por agentes del orden público. Lo que no dijo es que, en Venezuela, en casos como estos, su gobierno se empeña en que no haya justicia.
Los ejemplos sobran. La corrupción oficial, el ecocidio en el Amazonas, la liquidación de la vida democrática… La posverdad supone un ejercicio político, público y deliberado, del cinismo. No solo necesita repetir cien veces una mentira, también requiere dotarla de sentimentalismo, afectivizarla. Se trata de convertir la ignorancia en una virtud; de promover la idea de que la verdad es un acto sensible, de que la realidad solo es un flujo en las redes. Por eso no tolera la información, el periodismo que investiga, que busca y que interpreta, que no se siente satisfecho con una única versión de lo que ocurre.
Después de 75 años en su edición de papel, ahora El Nacional se suma a la lista de medios exclusivamente digitales que intentan informar dentro del país. Paradójicamente, sobre todo para quienes asocian de manera irremediable la posverdad a las nuevas plataformas y a las redes sociales, desde hace años estos medios independientes, desde internet, son la única alternativa que existe para saber qué ocurre realmente en Venezuela. Son muchos y variados: Efecto Cocuyo, Armando.Info, El Pitazo, Espacio Público, Crónica Uno, La vida de nos, el Instituto Prensa y Sociedad Venezuela (IPYS), Runrunes, Prodavinci, TalCual, Correo del Caroní, La Patilla… Solo en estos espacios es donde puede encontrarse información confiable. Por eso es imprescindible promoverlos, apoyarlos, destacarlos. Son la única referencia que tenemos; la mejor interlocución, tanto para los venezolanos como para la comunidad internacional, a la hora de enfrentar esa fábrica de posverdad llamada pomposamente “la Revolución bolivariana”.
Alberto Barrera Tyszka es escritor y colaborador regular de The New York Times en Español. Su novela más reciente es “Mujeres que matan”.
Fuente:https://www.nytimes.com/es/2018/12/16/opinion-periodismo-venezuela/
El periodismo venezolano frente a la posverdad bolivariana
Por ALBERTO BARRERA TYSZKA
16 de diciembre de 2018
Aún en la máquina de rotativas, la última edición impresa del periódico venezolano El Nacional Credit Miguel Gutiérrez/Epa-EFE vía Rex
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO — El viernes 14 de diciembre salió por última vez en Venezuela la edición impresa del periódico El Nacional. De ahora en adelante, ese medio de comunicación solo estará disponible en internet. Se trata de un diario que tiene 75 años y que es considerado una institución en el ejercicio y la formación de periodistas. Es una referencia ineludible a la hora de entender las noticias y el debate público en el país. Su paso a la edición en línea no es una elección sino una condena. En lo que va del año, otros treinta diarios ya dejaron de circular; diez de ellos tuvieron que cerrar de manera definitiva.
Todo es parte de la misma guerra que desde hace años ha desarrollado el gobierno de Venezuela en contra de la información. El chavismo no soporta la transparencia.
Desde que Nicolás Maduro asumió la presidencia en 2013, comenzó a establecerse un claro patrón oficial para el control de la información. En una extraña movida, dos de los principales diarios del país fueron comprados por grupos económicos no identificados que, de forma inmediata, pusieron su línea editorial al servicio del gobierno. De la misma manera, el Estado consolidó su monopolio en la importación de papel periódico e insumos para las empresas gráficas. Así se fue asfixiando al periodismo impreso independiente. Hoy hay un 70 por ciento menos de periódicos que hace cinco años. Los diarios que se mantienen, se publican y se distribuyen, solo se dedican a la comunicación corporativa: permanecen en el marco de la información inofensiva y del aparato de propaganda gubernamental.
Llama la atención la insistencia con que el chavismo contabiliza y clasifica las informaciones. Esta semana, en un encuentro con representantes de la prensa, Nicolás Maduro denunció que “se han editado más de 4142 noticias negativas” sobre Venezuela, como si esa suma no fuera la expresión de un país en conflicto, lleno de problemas, sino la demostración irrefutable de la existencia de una descomunal conspiración en su contra. Maduro cree que lo que ocurre no se impone, que no importa que la realidad sea evidente. Piensa que el periodismo siempre puede ordenar y decidir qué puede o debe ser o no ser una noticia.
Martín Caparrós ha dicho que la posverdad es una palabra nueva para hablar de esa antigüedad que conocemos como la mentira. Es cierto. Pero quizás la novedad lexical solo desea precisar mejor la naturaleza de un proceso político cada vez más común: se miente desde la obviedad de la mentira. Se propone el engaño como una invitación explícita a desdeñar los hechos objetivos, a confiar más en la velocidad de la plataforma que en la profundidad de los datos. La posverdad solo puede existir descalificando de manera permanente al periodismo.
En la brevísima pero muy costosa visita que Nicolás Maduro hizo a México a principios de este mes, estaba previsto un “acto de masas” en solidaridad con el gobierno venezolano. El mandatario se fue pero sus ministros Jorge Arreaza y Ernesto Villegas se quedaron un día más para participar junto a representantes de varios sindicatos mexicanos en el evento. También estuvieron presentes algunos padres de los jóvenes desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa. Maduro apareció en un video grabado, dando un mensaje a los trabajadores de México. Habló de la solidaridad y del amor, criticó la “derecha malinche”, saludó y celebró a la “clase obrera”. Pero no mencionó a Rubén González, un dirigente sindical venezolano detenido, precisamente en esos mismos días, por la policía política de su gobierno. Tampoco habló de los nueve trabajadores de la ferrominera estatal, igualmente detenidos por protestar y exigir mejoras salariales, enjuiciados por un tribunal militar y llevados a prisión, acusados de traición a la patria. En lo alto del podio destacaba una gran pancarta: “Clase obrera mexicana con Venezuela”.
En el mismo acto, el canciller Arreaza abrazó a algunos familiares de los estudiantes de Ayotzinapa y destacó el “privilegio” de poder realizar ese gesto mientras sentenciaba con certeza que “habrá justicia”. Lo que no dijo el canciller Arreaza es que, en Venezuela, el gobierno que él representa ha desarrollado un operativo policial y militar —la Operación de Liberación del Pueblo— que, solamente entre 2015 y 2017, asesinó de forma extrajudicial a más de quinientas personas. Según la investigación periodística y el trabajo de organizaciones de derechos humanos, en los últimos quince años en Venezuela se han producido diez masacres realizadas por agentes del orden público. Lo que no dijo es que, en Venezuela, en casos como estos, su gobierno se empeña en que no haya justicia.
Los ejemplos sobran. La corrupción oficial, el ecocidio en el Amazonas, la liquidación de la vida democrática… La posverdad supone un ejercicio político, público y deliberado, del cinismo. No solo necesita repetir cien veces una mentira, también requiere dotarla de sentimentalismo, afectivizarla. Se trata de convertir la ignorancia en una virtud; de promover la idea de que la verdad es un acto sensible, de que la realidad solo es un flujo en las redes. Por eso no tolera la información, el periodismo que investiga, que busca y que interpreta, que no se siente satisfecho con una única versión de lo que ocurre.
Después de 75 años en su edición de papel, ahora El Nacional se suma a la lista de medios exclusivamente digitales que intentan informar dentro del país. Paradójicamente, sobre todo para quienes asocian de manera irremediable la posverdad a las nuevas plataformas y a las redes sociales, desde hace años estos medios independientes, desde internet, son la única alternativa que existe para saber qué ocurre realmente en Venezuela. Son muchos y variados: Efecto Cocuyo, Armando.Info, El Pitazo, Espacio Público, Crónica Uno, La vida de nos, el Instituto Prensa y Sociedad Venezuela (IPYS), Runrunes, Prodavinci, TalCual, Correo del Caroní, La Patilla… Solo en estos espacios es donde puede encontrarse información confiable. Por eso es imprescindible promoverlos, apoyarlos, destacarlos. Son la única referencia que tenemos; la mejor interlocución, tanto para los venezolanos como para la comunidad internacional, a la hora de enfrentar esa fábrica de posverdad llamada pomposamente “la Revolución bolivariana”.
Alberto Barrera Tyszka es escritor y colaborador regular de The New York Times en Español. Su novela más reciente es “Mujeres que matan”.
Fuente:https://www.nytimes.com/es/2018/12/16/opinion-periodismo-venezuela/
La diáspora intelectual de Venezuela, por María Gabriela Méndez
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/2204435-la-diaspora-intelectual-de-venezuela
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/2204435-la-diaspora-intelectual-de-venezuela
How virtual reality can make you better, smarter and fitter, by Lauren Joseph
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
How virtual reality can make you better, smarter and fitter
A woman tries on a VR headset at the 2017 Venice Film Festival.Image: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
18 Sep 2017
Lauren Joseph
Lead, Electronics Industry and Global Leadership Fellow , World Economic Forum
Technologists have been predicting the widespread adoption of virtual reality (VR) for several decades now, but recent improvements in the technology and a drop in the retail cost of headsets have begun to move us towards a genuine tipping point. Investors, venture capitalists and tech enthusiasts are placing big bets on VR as one of the hottest emerging technologies out there. Many people believe it is already here.
The interesting question though, isn’t about when you will have a VR headset in your living room; it's why you would want it there in the first place, and how it can help us solve some wicked problems.
Activists and artists have begun thinking about this question over the past few years and created some incredible immersive experiences to help users better understand and empathise with people they would otherwise never meet.
One of the most notable projects of this kind, which was developed in collaboration with the United Nations, is called Clouds Over Sidra. This immersive experience places you in a Syrian refugee camp and follows a day in the life of 12-year-old Sidra, a girl who has lived there for 18 months with thousands of other refugees. Another project, 6X9, is designed to help us empathise with prisoners by placing users in an almost perfect simulation of solitary confinement. A war-journalism project, Enemy, allows users to meet face-to-face with combatants on opposite sides of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict and hear testimonials from both sides.
These applications are excellent examples of how VR experiences can have an impact on the way we understand each other and the world, but many believe these are just the beginning. A budding community of change-makers are applying VR across almost every discipline and industry.
In the field of education for example, recent studies indicate that students learning in VR perform far better in tests those learning in traditional environments. One study conducted in China on the impact of VR on academic performance studied how students learn astrophysics concepts.
In this Chinese study, VR learning boosted students' performance considerably Image: Beijing Bluefocus E-Commerce Co. Ltd
In a classroom of 40 students, in which half were taught in a VR environment and half using traditional methods, the study tested knowledge assimilation immediately after the course and knowledge retention two weeks afterwards. The students exposed to the VR learning environment performed significantly better on both tests, scoring on average 27.4% better immediately after learning and 32.4% better when tested again two weeks later. What’s more, students who were underperforming in the traditional learning environment actually excelled in the VR environment, scoring 15.8% better on average than the top students in the traditional environment.
The potential of VR to accelerate and improve learning and knowledge retention spans many different skills and subjects, from learning a new language to training as a surgeon. Recognising this potential, many start-ups such as zSpace, Alchemy VR and Immersive VR Education are emerging, each of them focused on developing content for education and training purposes.
In the field of healthcare, mounting evidence shows that VR can be applied to treat a range of mental health conditions including paranoia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders as well as helping with pain management. For example, a recent study aimed at treating PTSD in military veterans showed that Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) - in which PTSD sufferers are helped to relive traumatic events as part of their treatment process - was even more effective in reducing symptoms than traditional treatments, and furthermore that these results were maintained 12 months after the VR treatment. Bravemind, developed at the University of Southern California, is one example of this new breed of therapeutic applications.
Beyond the positive impacts VR can have on our schools and healthcare systems, there are also emerging applications in the arena of physical performance and rehabilitation. For example, Strivr Labs is helping athletes up their game through VR performance training. Studies have shown that both athletes and non-athletes achieve 20% faster physical reaction times after training in VR compared to training in traditional settings. These types of results have sparked the interest of many high-profile sports leagues, and Strivr now has partnerships with organisations including the NHL, the PGA Tour and the German Football Association. These results have also provided a basis for applications in physical rehabilitation for athletes as well as patients with physical disabilities.
As some of these emerging applications show, the potential of VR is limited only by our creativity and by our ability to make the technology widely accessible. Companies like HTC, who developed the VIVE headset, understand this and have invested $10 million in grant funding to support and encourage developers, content creators, problem solvers and change makers to harness the power of VR. This is through the VR for Impact platform, where HTC, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, is working to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers.
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/virtual-reality-can-make-you-better-smarter-fitter
How virtual reality can make you better, smarter and fitter
A woman tries on a VR headset at the 2017 Venice Film Festival.Image: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
18 Sep 2017
Lauren Joseph
Lead, Electronics Industry and Global Leadership Fellow , World Economic Forum
Technologists have been predicting the widespread adoption of virtual reality (VR) for several decades now, but recent improvements in the technology and a drop in the retail cost of headsets have begun to move us towards a genuine tipping point. Investors, venture capitalists and tech enthusiasts are placing big bets on VR as one of the hottest emerging technologies out there. Many people believe it is already here.
The interesting question though, isn’t about when you will have a VR headset in your living room; it's why you would want it there in the first place, and how it can help us solve some wicked problems.
Activists and artists have begun thinking about this question over the past few years and created some incredible immersive experiences to help users better understand and empathise with people they would otherwise never meet.
One of the most notable projects of this kind, which was developed in collaboration with the United Nations, is called Clouds Over Sidra. This immersive experience places you in a Syrian refugee camp and follows a day in the life of 12-year-old Sidra, a girl who has lived there for 18 months with thousands of other refugees. Another project, 6X9, is designed to help us empathise with prisoners by placing users in an almost perfect simulation of solitary confinement. A war-journalism project, Enemy, allows users to meet face-to-face with combatants on opposite sides of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict and hear testimonials from both sides.
These applications are excellent examples of how VR experiences can have an impact on the way we understand each other and the world, but many believe these are just the beginning. A budding community of change-makers are applying VR across almost every discipline and industry.
In the field of education for example, recent studies indicate that students learning in VR perform far better in tests those learning in traditional environments. One study conducted in China on the impact of VR on academic performance studied how students learn astrophysics concepts.
In this Chinese study, VR learning boosted students' performance considerably Image: Beijing Bluefocus E-Commerce Co. Ltd
In a classroom of 40 students, in which half were taught in a VR environment and half using traditional methods, the study tested knowledge assimilation immediately after the course and knowledge retention two weeks afterwards. The students exposed to the VR learning environment performed significantly better on both tests, scoring on average 27.4% better immediately after learning and 32.4% better when tested again two weeks later. What’s more, students who were underperforming in the traditional learning environment actually excelled in the VR environment, scoring 15.8% better on average than the top students in the traditional environment.
The potential of VR to accelerate and improve learning and knowledge retention spans many different skills and subjects, from learning a new language to training as a surgeon. Recognising this potential, many start-ups such as zSpace, Alchemy VR and Immersive VR Education are emerging, each of them focused on developing content for education and training purposes.
In the field of healthcare, mounting evidence shows that VR can be applied to treat a range of mental health conditions including paranoia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders as well as helping with pain management. For example, a recent study aimed at treating PTSD in military veterans showed that Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) - in which PTSD sufferers are helped to relive traumatic events as part of their treatment process - was even more effective in reducing symptoms than traditional treatments, and furthermore that these results were maintained 12 months after the VR treatment. Bravemind, developed at the University of Southern California, is one example of this new breed of therapeutic applications.
Beyond the positive impacts VR can have on our schools and healthcare systems, there are also emerging applications in the arena of physical performance and rehabilitation. For example, Strivr Labs is helping athletes up their game through VR performance training. Studies have shown that both athletes and non-athletes achieve 20% faster physical reaction times after training in VR compared to training in traditional settings. These types of results have sparked the interest of many high-profile sports leagues, and Strivr now has partnerships with organisations including the NHL, the PGA Tour and the German Football Association. These results have also provided a basis for applications in physical rehabilitation for athletes as well as patients with physical disabilities.
As some of these emerging applications show, the potential of VR is limited only by our creativity and by our ability to make the technology widely accessible. Companies like HTC, who developed the VIVE headset, understand this and have invested $10 million in grant funding to support and encourage developers, content creators, problem solvers and change makers to harness the power of VR. This is through the VR for Impact platform, where HTC, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, is working to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers.
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/virtual-reality-can-make-you-better-smarter-fitter
The key trends making our cities greener, safer and smarter, by Alex Molinaroli
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
The key trends making our cities greener, safer and smarter
Image: REUTERS/Andy Clark
13 Jan 2017
Alex Molinaroli
Chairman and CEO, Johnson Controls
Around the world, governments are investing in innovative technologies and private-sector solutions to make their cities safer, “SMARTER” and more sustainable. A number of industry trends are driving this global transformation including the development of networked Sensors, Machine to machine communications, data Analytics, Real-time decision making and Transactive energy systems while providing communities with the benefits of improved Efficiency and Resilience.
Networked SENSORS are a foundational component of smart cities, collecting a broad range of data critical to delivering improved services for visitors, residents and businesses. Technology exists today to mimic all five of the human senses plus many additional ones and integrate the data into various computerized monitoring and management systems. Whether “seeing” security incidents through video surveillance, “hearing” gun shots through audio processing or “smelling” polluted air through chemical and particulate detectors, networked arrays of sensors provide the basis for more accurate analysis and decision-making. The same networked video camera in a retail store that can detect an after-hours intrusion can also track the total number of shoppers in the store, determine if there are more shoppers buying sweaters or bathing suits, call for additional cashiers at the check-out line and even communicate with the building management system to adjust the store temperatures, lighting and ventilation based on occupancy to save energy (and sell more sweaters).
MACHINE-TO-MACHINE COMMUNICATIONS, also commonly referred to as M2M or the Internet of Things (IoT), is attracting a lot of interest and investment from key smart city stakeholders. While people have been connected to other people and their various software applications via the internet for many years, people are now able to connect to everyday devices such as thermostats, door locks and lights from anywhere at any time. The devices can also talk to themselves, either individually or as part of integrated systems, providing greater functionality and efficiency. Hospitals use about three times as much energy as a similarly sized office building due to 24x7 operations and energy intensive processes such as operating room conditioning. A typical surgical suite is unoccupied 70-80% of the time during the week and up to 95% on weekends. By integrating the building management system with the surgical scheduling system and electronic patient records, excess energy used to condition, pressurize and ventilate the operating room can be reduced when unoccupied, saving an average of $6,000 per year while delivering and documenting safer and more comfortable conditions.
The use of ANALYTICS is also a key trend and is often associated with the term “big data.” Indeed, the process of translating raw data into useful insight and action is a key to delivering smarter capabilities for buildings, communities and cities. This analysis can be done by experienced data scientists or, increasingly in an automated manner using cloud computing, machine learning and other advanced statistical methods. The new Stanford University central energy facility is an example of the latest trends in advanced analytics. The central energy system is managed by an enterprise optimization system that automatically creates predictive models of hourly campus heating and cooling requirements seven days in advance. The model predictive control system then uses weather forecasts and predictions of hourly energy pricing from the utility to optimize the control of heat recovery chillers and the dispatch of hot and chilled water storage. The system is projected to save $420 million over the next 35 years and can operate in a fully automated real-time manner.
The REAL-TIME implementation of advanced sensing and analytics allows continuous optimization of building, energy, transportation and infrastructure systems resulting in greater operational and resource efficiency. Real-time traffic management works by measuring the traffic flow through an intersection and then automatically adjusting cycle lengths, splits and offsets between intersections to maximize throughput, minimize delays and reduce the number of stops. Other smart city transportation applications includes London’s CCTV-based system with more than 1500 cameras that monitor and manage incidents and events 24-hours a day and Singapore’s 9km tunnel management system, which monitors more than 25,000 devices. Visitors to Singapore might remember its innovative real-time parking management system from well over a decade ago.
TRANSACTIVE energy systems are another industry trend in which software applications allow energy producers and consumers (aka prosumers) to use distributed energy resources to bid the generation or reduction of power into the electricity market. This provides a market-based approach for capturing the time-based and location-specific value of distributed generation, energy storage and demand response technologies. An early 2006 pilot project in Washington State involved 100 home owners and a few commercial/industrial facilities who were given detailed information on real-time and historical appliance energy use and the opportunity to preprogram specific actions in response to real-time pricing information. A more recent pilot project connected 11 utilities and 60,000 electricity customers to specific nodes of the Pacific Northwest’s power grid. Every five minutes, the nodes communicated the delivered cost of electricity, plus a prediction of how much electricity would be needed over the coming minutes, hours and days.
One growing concern of highly interconnected systems, such as the electric power grid, is the risk of cybersecurity breaches. While individuals have always been at financial and privacy risk from their use of the Internet, interconnected devices and systems communicating and operating autonomously over networks raise significant safety and security concerns. The cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and the IoT is currently being addressed by a number of government bodies and business alliances.
Improving EFFICIENCY continues to be an important driver for smart city investment. These drivers include operational, resource and economic efficiency improvements across a variety of urban systems and infrastructure. Efficiency improvements convert wasted money and resources into infrastructure investments, while creating well-paying local jobs and economic development in the community. In 2016, Johnson Controls completed its tenth Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey of more than 1200 organizations with commercial, institutional and industrial facilities in Brazil, China, Germany, India and the United States. In the study, 72% of organizations said they were planning to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy investments in the next year.
RESILIENCE is also a key driver, with 82% of organizations reporting that the ability to maintain critical operations during severe weather events or extended power outages is very or extremely important when considering future infrastructure investments. Many of the technologies which make our built environment more efficient and sustainable also make it more resilient. Building owners were surprised after Superstorm Sandy when their solar panels did not generate power due to a safety disconnect from the electrical grid. In response to this and other drivers, 62% of surveyed organizations said they are very or extremely likely to have one or more facilities able to operate off the grid in the next 10 years.
To prepare for the future, we must create “SMARTER” cities with buildings and communities that incorporate highly efficient designs with advanced envelopes, lighting, heating and cooling equipment, the use of renewable or distributed energy resources, the addition of battery electric/thermal storage and the ability to safely “island” operations from the power grid. These cities will accelerate the industry trend towards net zero energy when their buildings and communities produce more energy than they consume from the grid over the course of a year. These cities will also be able to provide their residents with critical services during emergencies including food, water, shelter, the refrigeration of medical supplies and the charging of medical instruments.
While there has been significant technology innovation driving smart cities, there has also been considerable innovation in financial models to support the required technology, efficiency and resiliency investments. These new business models allow energy savings, utility incentives, demand response and grid regulation payments to be considered in energy performance contracts (retrofits) or public-private partnerships (new construction) making infrastructure improvements more affordable for governments, businesses and residents. Industry trends, including innovative financial models and leading edge technology including networked sensors, the Internet of Things, real-time analytics and transactive energy systems, are key enablers driving the global transformation to safer, smarter and more sustainable cities.
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/the-key-trends-making-our-cities-greener-safer-and-smarter
The key trends making our cities greener, safer and smarter
Image: REUTERS/Andy Clark
13 Jan 2017
Alex Molinaroli
Chairman and CEO, Johnson Controls
Around the world, governments are investing in innovative technologies and private-sector solutions to make their cities safer, “SMARTER” and more sustainable. A number of industry trends are driving this global transformation including the development of networked Sensors, Machine to machine communications, data Analytics, Real-time decision making and Transactive energy systems while providing communities with the benefits of improved Efficiency and Resilience.
Networked SENSORS are a foundational component of smart cities, collecting a broad range of data critical to delivering improved services for visitors, residents and businesses. Technology exists today to mimic all five of the human senses plus many additional ones and integrate the data into various computerized monitoring and management systems. Whether “seeing” security incidents through video surveillance, “hearing” gun shots through audio processing or “smelling” polluted air through chemical and particulate detectors, networked arrays of sensors provide the basis for more accurate analysis and decision-making. The same networked video camera in a retail store that can detect an after-hours intrusion can also track the total number of shoppers in the store, determine if there are more shoppers buying sweaters or bathing suits, call for additional cashiers at the check-out line and even communicate with the building management system to adjust the store temperatures, lighting and ventilation based on occupancy to save energy (and sell more sweaters).
MACHINE-TO-MACHINE COMMUNICATIONS, also commonly referred to as M2M or the Internet of Things (IoT), is attracting a lot of interest and investment from key smart city stakeholders. While people have been connected to other people and their various software applications via the internet for many years, people are now able to connect to everyday devices such as thermostats, door locks and lights from anywhere at any time. The devices can also talk to themselves, either individually or as part of integrated systems, providing greater functionality and efficiency. Hospitals use about three times as much energy as a similarly sized office building due to 24x7 operations and energy intensive processes such as operating room conditioning. A typical surgical suite is unoccupied 70-80% of the time during the week and up to 95% on weekends. By integrating the building management system with the surgical scheduling system and electronic patient records, excess energy used to condition, pressurize and ventilate the operating room can be reduced when unoccupied, saving an average of $6,000 per year while delivering and documenting safer and more comfortable conditions.
The use of ANALYTICS is also a key trend and is often associated with the term “big data.” Indeed, the process of translating raw data into useful insight and action is a key to delivering smarter capabilities for buildings, communities and cities. This analysis can be done by experienced data scientists or, increasingly in an automated manner using cloud computing, machine learning and other advanced statistical methods. The new Stanford University central energy facility is an example of the latest trends in advanced analytics. The central energy system is managed by an enterprise optimization system that automatically creates predictive models of hourly campus heating and cooling requirements seven days in advance. The model predictive control system then uses weather forecasts and predictions of hourly energy pricing from the utility to optimize the control of heat recovery chillers and the dispatch of hot and chilled water storage. The system is projected to save $420 million over the next 35 years and can operate in a fully automated real-time manner.
The REAL-TIME implementation of advanced sensing and analytics allows continuous optimization of building, energy, transportation and infrastructure systems resulting in greater operational and resource efficiency. Real-time traffic management works by measuring the traffic flow through an intersection and then automatically adjusting cycle lengths, splits and offsets between intersections to maximize throughput, minimize delays and reduce the number of stops. Other smart city transportation applications includes London’s CCTV-based system with more than 1500 cameras that monitor and manage incidents and events 24-hours a day and Singapore’s 9km tunnel management system, which monitors more than 25,000 devices. Visitors to Singapore might remember its innovative real-time parking management system from well over a decade ago.
TRANSACTIVE energy systems are another industry trend in which software applications allow energy producers and consumers (aka prosumers) to use distributed energy resources to bid the generation or reduction of power into the electricity market. This provides a market-based approach for capturing the time-based and location-specific value of distributed generation, energy storage and demand response technologies. An early 2006 pilot project in Washington State involved 100 home owners and a few commercial/industrial facilities who were given detailed information on real-time and historical appliance energy use and the opportunity to preprogram specific actions in response to real-time pricing information. A more recent pilot project connected 11 utilities and 60,000 electricity customers to specific nodes of the Pacific Northwest’s power grid. Every five minutes, the nodes communicated the delivered cost of electricity, plus a prediction of how much electricity would be needed over the coming minutes, hours and days.
One growing concern of highly interconnected systems, such as the electric power grid, is the risk of cybersecurity breaches. While individuals have always been at financial and privacy risk from their use of the Internet, interconnected devices and systems communicating and operating autonomously over networks raise significant safety and security concerns. The cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and the IoT is currently being addressed by a number of government bodies and business alliances.
Improving EFFICIENCY continues to be an important driver for smart city investment. These drivers include operational, resource and economic efficiency improvements across a variety of urban systems and infrastructure. Efficiency improvements convert wasted money and resources into infrastructure investments, while creating well-paying local jobs and economic development in the community. In 2016, Johnson Controls completed its tenth Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey of more than 1200 organizations with commercial, institutional and industrial facilities in Brazil, China, Germany, India and the United States. In the study, 72% of organizations said they were planning to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy investments in the next year.
RESILIENCE is also a key driver, with 82% of organizations reporting that the ability to maintain critical operations during severe weather events or extended power outages is very or extremely important when considering future infrastructure investments. Many of the technologies which make our built environment more efficient and sustainable also make it more resilient. Building owners were surprised after Superstorm Sandy when their solar panels did not generate power due to a safety disconnect from the electrical grid. In response to this and other drivers, 62% of surveyed organizations said they are very or extremely likely to have one or more facilities able to operate off the grid in the next 10 years.
To prepare for the future, we must create “SMARTER” cities with buildings and communities that incorporate highly efficient designs with advanced envelopes, lighting, heating and cooling equipment, the use of renewable or distributed energy resources, the addition of battery electric/thermal storage and the ability to safely “island” operations from the power grid. These cities will accelerate the industry trend towards net zero energy when their buildings and communities produce more energy than they consume from the grid over the course of a year. These cities will also be able to provide their residents with critical services during emergencies including food, water, shelter, the refrigeration of medical supplies and the charging of medical instruments.
While there has been significant technology innovation driving smart cities, there has also been considerable innovation in financial models to support the required technology, efficiency and resiliency investments. These new business models allow energy savings, utility incentives, demand response and grid regulation payments to be considered in energy performance contracts (retrofits) or public-private partnerships (new construction) making infrastructure improvements more affordable for governments, businesses and residents. Industry trends, including innovative financial models and leading edge technology including networked sensors, the Internet of Things, real-time analytics and transactive energy systems, are key enablers driving the global transformation to safer, smarter and more sustainable cities.
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/the-key-trends-making-our-cities-greener-safer-and-smarter
12 ways to get smarter – in one chart, by Jeff Desjardins
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
12 ways to get smarter – in one chart
This infographic shows the 'mental models' used by some of the world's most successful people. Image: REUTERS/Alex Grimm
This article is written in collaboration with Visual Capitalist
12 Feb 2018
Jeff Desjardins,Founder and editor of Visual Capitalist
The level of a person’s raw intelligence, as measured by aptitude tests such as IQ scores, is generally pretty stable for most people during adulthood.
While it’s true that there are things you can do to fine tune your natural capabilities, such as doing brain exercises, puzzle solving, and getting optimal sleep – the amount of raw brainpower you have is difficult to increase in any meaningful or permanent way.
For those of you who strive to be high-performers, this may seem like bad news. If processing power can't be increased, then how can life’s increasingly complex problems be solved?
Image: Visual Capitalist
The key is mental models
The good news is that while raw cognitive abilities matter, it’s how you use and harness those abilities that really makes the difference.
The world’s most successful people, from Ray Dalio to Warren Buffett, are not necessarily leagues above the rest of us in raw intelligence – they have simply developed and applied better mental models of how the world works, and they use these principles to filter their thoughts, decisions, strategies, and execution.
Today’s infographic comes from best-selling author and entrepreneur Michael Simmons, who has collected over 650 mental models through his work. The image, in a similar style to one we previously published on cognitive biases, synthesizes these models down to the most useful and universal mental models that people should learn to master first.
Concepts such as the 80/20 rule (Pareto’s principle), compound interest, and network effects are summarized in the visualization, and their major components are broken down further within the circle.
Mental model example
In a recent Medium post by Simmons, he highlights a well-known mental model that is the perfect breadcrumb to start with.
The 80/20 rule (Pareto’s principle) is named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who was likely the first person to note the 80/20 connection in an 1896 paper.
In short, it shows that 20% of inputs (work, time, effort) often leads to 80% of outputs (performance, sales, revenue, etc.), creating an extremely vivid mental framework for making prioritization decisions.
Image: Visual Capitalist
The 80/20 rule represents a power law distribution that has been empirically shown to exist throughout nature, and it also has huge implications on business.
If you focus your effort on these 20% of tasks first, and get the most out of them, you will be able to drive results much more efficiently than wasting time on the 80% “long tail” shown below.
Image: Visual Capitalist
This is just one example of how a powerful mental model can be effective in making you work more intelligently.
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/how-to-be-smarter-infographic/Shared by Claudio F. in Linkedin.
12 ways to get smarter – in one chart
This infographic shows the 'mental models' used by some of the world's most successful people. Image: REUTERS/Alex Grimm
This article is written in collaboration with Visual Capitalist
12 Feb 2018
Jeff Desjardins,Founder and editor of Visual Capitalist
The level of a person’s raw intelligence, as measured by aptitude tests such as IQ scores, is generally pretty stable for most people during adulthood.
While it’s true that there are things you can do to fine tune your natural capabilities, such as doing brain exercises, puzzle solving, and getting optimal sleep – the amount of raw brainpower you have is difficult to increase in any meaningful or permanent way.
For those of you who strive to be high-performers, this may seem like bad news. If processing power can't be increased, then how can life’s increasingly complex problems be solved?
Image: Visual Capitalist
The key is mental models
The good news is that while raw cognitive abilities matter, it’s how you use and harness those abilities that really makes the difference.
The world’s most successful people, from Ray Dalio to Warren Buffett, are not necessarily leagues above the rest of us in raw intelligence – they have simply developed and applied better mental models of how the world works, and they use these principles to filter their thoughts, decisions, strategies, and execution.
Today’s infographic comes from best-selling author and entrepreneur Michael Simmons, who has collected over 650 mental models through his work. The image, in a similar style to one we previously published on cognitive biases, synthesizes these models down to the most useful and universal mental models that people should learn to master first.
Concepts such as the 80/20 rule (Pareto’s principle), compound interest, and network effects are summarized in the visualization, and their major components are broken down further within the circle.
Mental model example
In a recent Medium post by Simmons, he highlights a well-known mental model that is the perfect breadcrumb to start with.
The 80/20 rule (Pareto’s principle) is named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who was likely the first person to note the 80/20 connection in an 1896 paper.
In short, it shows that 20% of inputs (work, time, effort) often leads to 80% of outputs (performance, sales, revenue, etc.), creating an extremely vivid mental framework for making prioritization decisions.
Image: Visual Capitalist
The 80/20 rule represents a power law distribution that has been empirically shown to exist throughout nature, and it also has huge implications on business.
If you focus your effort on these 20% of tasks first, and get the most out of them, you will be able to drive results much more efficiently than wasting time on the 80% “long tail” shown below.
Image: Visual Capitalist
This is just one example of how a powerful mental model can be effective in making you work more intelligently.
Source:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/how-to-be-smarter-infographic/Shared by Claudio F. in Linkedin.
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