Digitization

Digitalization continues to expand and is increasingly ubiquitous. Digital technologies are merging digital and physical infrastructure, as well as “the real world” with digital worlds. As more devices are connected to the internet via Internet of Things and digital twin technology, creating and storing large quantities of data, energy demand will increase. Renewable energy and robust power grids will be necessary to meet demand sustainably.

Digital worlds and technology have an increasing influence on our daily lives. Digitalization grants people instant access to information, communication, and services. It may affect the ways we learn and interact with others. There is a sense of anxiety about how the vast amounts of data generated through digitalization will be used, especially in terms of personal privacy and digital communication. There is also concern that digitalization will eliminate jobs. However, sectors like banking, healthcare, education, and retail are more optimistic, hoping digitalization will expand access for rural communities and be an equalizing force.

Future Scenarios and Implications for the Industry by World Economic Forum presents three potential future scenarios and their implications for the infrastructure urban development industries: 1.) Building in a virtual world; 2.) Factories run the world; 3.) A green reboot. These scenarios explore different paths of technological advancement, social changes, and environmental challenges. Digitalization, data, and digital models are the backbone of many emerging technologies. However, they are only effective if stakeholders feed the system accurate, consistent information and information is not lost between steps.

In Perth 2050, four Western Australian engineers and designers at ARUP establish visions for the city of Perth in 2050. The visions respond to UN sustainable development goals and are themed Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities. The four visions are: digital services and districts, seamless and integrated mobility, sustainable urban water management, and resilient urban systems.

A World Reaching Inflection Point by Singapore Government Centre for Strategic Futures provides an overview of five themes that they believe will shape Singapore government's operating context in 2040. One of these themes is the digireal is coalescing. The increasing significance of the digital domain, and the blurring of boundaries between the physical and digital worlds, has seen the emergence of a new domain at the meeting of the two that we call the Digireal. How will future societies move between the digital and the physical—if that distinction even persists in the future—and with what effects?

The World in 2040: The future of healthcare, mobility, travel and the home by Allianz Partners provides an overview of the megatrends shaping the 21st century. It highlights key factors such as demographic changes, technological advancements, climate change, and shifting economic power. One mega-trend is digital health in which consumers will collect their own health data, geneticists will remove hereditary diseases from the population, artificial intelligence (AI) systems will routinely aid diagnosis and treatments will be tailored and personalised for individual patients.

The OECD Scenarios for the Future of Schooling by OECD is a chapter of four scenarios for 2040:

• Schooling extended
• Education outsourced
• Schools as learning hubs
• Learn-as-you-go

As digitalisation allows students to work more autonomously, school staff can focus more intensely on supporting learners’ emotional needs and motivation for learning. An emphasis on digital tools impacts traditional teaching, and many tasks for educators in the classroom may become restricted to “contingency management

Digitalisation has made it possible to assess and certify knowledge, skills and attitudes in a deep and practically instantaneous manner, and the intermediary role of trusted third parties (e.g. educational institutions, private learning providers) in certification is no longer necessary.)

Future of Consumption in Fast-Growth Consumer Markets: ASEAN by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Bain & Company builds on in-depth consumer surveys conducted across over 1,740 households in 22 cities and towns in ASEAN, covering all key demographic segments. It also draws from over 35 in-depth interviews with private and public-sector leaders. ASEAN growth will be propelled by four mega-forces: favorable demographics; rising income levels; geopolitical shifts; and digital tailwinds. ASEAN’s digital economy will become truly inclusive, as consumers adopt digital, investors fund innovative digital businesses and governments support key digital transformation programs.

Oil & Gas 2030: Let There Be Change by Accenture discusses how the oil and natural gas industry should respond to the challenges of an abundance of supply, the growing momentum toward decarbonization and the structural shifts in consumer behaviors. Multiple technologies—cloud, artificial intelligence, data analytics and more—are simultaneously accelerating, reinforcing each other’s capabilities, and creating exponential growth in transformational potential. Energy companies that understand this combinatorial effect of technology and operate like “digital natives” are reaping the value of innovating at scale.

The Future of Sense-making by Policy Horizons Canada examines the changing landscape of sense-making in an increasingly complex and information-rich world. It discusses the impact of ubiquitous artificial intelligence, rich in-game experiences, surveillance and social sorting, information overload, and changing communication practices on the way individuals and organizations make sense of information. The document emphasizes the need for adaptive sense-making strategies, collaboration across disciplines, and ethical considerations to effectively navigate the challenges and opportunities of the future.

2022 Strategic Foresight Report by the European Commission explores the interplay between the green and digital transitions in the context of evolving geopolitics. The report emphasizes the need to understand the interactions between these transitions to maximize synergies and minimize tensions. It outlines four key targets: achieving digital skills for all, ensuring secure and sustainable digital infrastructure, promoting digitalization of businesses, and enhancing digital public services.

Future of Stations by ARUP explores trends surrounding urban mobility and infrastructure. This report invites city planners and owners, designers, and developers of stations to question what stations can look like in the future. Innovative digital technologies will transform transport hubs, bringing new value propositions and changes to user behaviour. The Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning (ML) will support personalisation, sensing environments and seamless journeys, while a new digital layer will improve the permeability and legibility of station spaces – for both users and operators.

A summary of potential cross-cutting missions to address future societal challenges in Norway by RAND is a study commissioned by the Research Council of Norway. The study focuses on strategic areas such as oceans, green transition, health and welfare, cohesion and globalization, and technology and digitalization, aiming to identify priority missions and structural measures to address societal challenges in Norway.

Thinking MENA Futures: The Next Five Years and Beyond by the Middle East Institute, is a series of essays looking at the next 5 years (2021-2026) for the Middle East and North Africa. One of the essays, The digitalization of economies and the future of work argues that Digital transformation can make a significant difference in MENA. However, it should be supported by digital infrastructure, skilled human capital, and the proper legal, regulatory, investment, governance, educational, security, and other enabling environments.

The Future-Ready University by ARUP explores the evolving landscape of higher education and its implications for the future of universities, encompassing changes in campus design, educational delivery, and insights from interviews with experts at partner universities worldwide. The digital transition has offered a number of benefits for universities. Lectures that are broadcast online give students more control and flexibility. Students watching live can still ask questions and interact remotely. They can also drop in and out, pause or replay key passages. And it can be popular. Lecture attendance was reported by some universities as being higher during COVID-19.

Digital Twin Cities: Framework and Global Practices by the World Economic Forum explores urban transformation and sustainable development through the use of digital twin technology. Digital twin cities refer to constructing the physical city in digital space in order to monitor, diagnose, and control the operation of the city in real time. Optimizing cities in this way could have wide reaching benefits for citizens and the environment.

Make or Break by the Global Governance Futures (GGF) 2030 Fellows uses scenarios to explore 3 key questions about the future of cities in 2030:

1. Will we see cities instead of national governments carry out sustainable development initiatives?
2. What role will cities play in the future of global governance?
3. What will cities, mayors and civil society groups need in order to jointly advocate for and lead policy changes?

One scenario discusses virtual citizenship, which moves government services and administration into decentralized cyberspace. This set up would allow citizens to pick and choose government services to subscribe to and be taxed accordingly.

The future of global value chains by OECD speculates about structural shifts that may change the outlook of global production and trade over the next 10-15 years. Digitalization and new communication technologies facilitate the growth of global value chains by decreasing the cost of organizing complex activites over long distances within and between companies.

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