WPI.6 - INformation society TrEnds and General Requirements AnaLysis

Objectives

WPI.6 acts as an interface through which Newcom++ can receive inputs and interact with stakeholders and users in the information society at large. The objective of this interaction is to draw from the outside those requirements, constraints, and inspiration that can help enhancing integration among the Research WPs of the JPA.

Starting from an analysis of foreseen medium-long term evolution in Communication
Technologies, WPI.6 aims at identifying major trends in applications, services, and system architectures, keeping in due consideration the constraints given by economic, regulatory, and standardization contexts, with an eye to extract common theoretical and practical challenges.

In addition, this WP aims at extracting a different kind of input from the ICT world, namely, the trends that characterize other technical/scientific disciplines, such as for example computer science, nano-electronics, embedded systems, optics, control systems, operational research, economics, biology, neuroscience.

The purpose is to derive concepts, principles, and visions that can inspire by analogy new ideas in the field of communications technologies explored by other Newcom++ WPs.

In essence, while requirements and constraints are limiting factors, inter-disciplinary cross-breeding will act as a generative factor.
Part of this activity will also be input to WPI.5 for the preparation of the
Newcom++ Vision Book.

Outcomes

In pursuing this objective, WPI.6 embraces a large variety of advanced, ubiquitous wireless communication systems and networks (i.e., terrestrial, satellite, hybrid, infrastructure-based, infrastructure-less, ad hoc, relayed, mesh, dynamically assigned, opportunistic) in view of their possible exploitation in consumer, professional, and institutional markets.

To tackle this challenging aims, the first outcome of WPI.6 has been obtained through the collection of potential R&D innovative concepts from the Newcom Research workpackages, with the corresponding

• goals,
  
• potential users,
  
• requirements (both general and specific, on services, applications, architectures, networks, links, equipment),
  
• constraints (in terms of technology, economy, regulation and standardization),
• foreseen impact
  
• risk. 

This has been achieved through a survey of ideas conducted within the WPRs leaders. The collection of Innovative Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Concepts resulting from the survey has formed the basic material to be shaped in identifying the overall ICT trend panorama.

The task of  categorizing the emerging ICT trends in the current technological arena has been tackled starting from an analysis of what we consider to represent the Personal Needs and their potential satisfaction through ICT. In particular, we  have considered as the basic personal needs:

• information and learning,
  
• environmental fitness,
  
• social interactions,
  
• working life,
  
• transactions,
  
• entertainment,
  
• security,
  
• privacy,
  
• health and wellness.

The ICT trends in Europe have then been reviewed, with a special emphasis on future Internet aspects (comprising also the Internet of Thing concept) and wireless technologies.

The study on personal needs and on the European current scenario in the field of ICT represents the reference framework for the further work of WPI.6, based primarily on information coming from outside of the project.

In this framework, WPI.6 has entered into the heat of the game by producing a new view and interpretation of the (r)evolution caused by the introduction of ICT technologies into our society. In particular, the concept of the “DNA of ICT evolution” has been introduced, built upon two major meta-trends, identified as personalization and distribution. These two filaments support, and are supported by, ten major trends:

• ideal performance,
  
• ubiquity,
  
• flexibility,
  
• complexity,
  
• cognitivity,
  
• opportunism,
  
• cooperation,
  
• security,
  
• miniaturization,
  
• convergence.
  

Given this general picture, WPI.6 has demonstrated how the WPs of Newcom++ have contributed and are currently contributing to these major trends, which gives a clear image of the potential impact that the scientific research endeavors in Newcom++ really have in practice.